One More Taste
by Kitty Cullen-03
Summary: Edward isn't able to stop Jasper at Bella's birthday party-but he doesn't get enough. He wants more, and he'll do anything to get it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**I really wanted to try my hand at a Jasper/Bella fic, because I've seen so many good ones lately. I know the story line get's done over and over, but I'm hoping that my take on it will be good enough to make it different. I'll be writing in mostly Jaspers POV, but every now and then someone else will sneak in. **

The room was filled with candles and flowers. A large cake sat on a table in the middle of the room, surrounded by plates. I rolled my eyes. Surely Alice realized that only _one_ person here would be eating cake. She couldn't do anything half way! I listened to Edward practically pull Bella out of the truck, pleading with her. Something about not having celebrated a birthday since Emmett's last in 1935, and to please let Alice have her fun. Bella sighed. When she entered, everyone, besides myself, moved in for congratulations and birthday wishes. Even though she'd been over here a thousand times, Edward still wished for me to keep my distance. I didn't _really_ see the point-surely, if I was going to harm her, I would have done so by now.

I watched Alice jump and dance around Bella, eagerly pulling her over to the table with presents on it. "I thought I told you guys you didn't have to get me anything!" Bella said, blushing. Always blushing.

"I know, I know, but we couldn't help it! It's not every day you turn 18, Bella!" Alice trilled, still tugging on her arm. Bella cocked an eyebrow.

"How many times have _you_ celebrating turning 18, Alice?" She laughed.

"That's different. You only _really_ turn 18 once. I promise at your first pretend birthday I won't get you a thing." Edward cringed behind Bella's back. I could feel the anxiety, albeit a small bit, radiate from him in that instance. He didn't want Bella to become one of us. Quite frankly I couldn't see why. Wouldn't it be easier for everyone? No worries about blood, or hugging too hard, or breaking? And it's what she wanted, after all. Alice thrust a small silver package into her hand, grinning wildly. I couldn't help but smile-the joy pouring from my wife was almost intoxicating. She loved Bella like a little sister. Someone to dress up, and play with, and love. Bella rolled her eyes and started pulling on the package. I believe it was a CD from Alice, Edward and myself. Bella had forbid Edward from spending any money on her, so this was what he came up with. She didn't say anything to Carlisle and Esme, though. They got her plane tickets.

"Oops," Bella said, cringing. I hadn't realized that I crept closer until now. I smelled it before I saw it-blood. Bella had cut her finger.

I couldn't remember who I was, or why I wasn't allowed to harm this girl. After all, wasn't she our natural food source? The smell…oh God…it made my head swim. I had to have it. And if no one else was going to take it, it was their loss. I lunged.

"NO!" Edward roared, throwing himself in front of Bella. She tumbled into the table with the cake, smashing it to pieces and landing in glass. Her whole arm was open and bleeding. I rolled my eyes to her and tried to push my way past Edward. I could hear it pulsing from her arm. Her heartbeat was frantic. She looked at me, and fear clouded her vision. She should be afraid. As soon as I could get around these people, she was mine. Edward turned to call to Carlisle-his fatal mistake. I only needed a moment without his eyes on me-I spun through his arms and past Emmett before he could turn around. Closer. I knew I had precious little time.

"Jasper, NO!" Alice shrieked, trying to make her way to me. Sorry wife, not in time! I grabbed Bella's arm and raised it to my mouth. It was sweeter than anything should be allowed to be. I hadn't tasted human blood in so long…it was glorious. I let it flow, hot and sweet, as Bella struggled beneath me. Edward recovered in record time. I could feel him grabbing my shoulders, but I didn't care. The taste was magnificent-better than I had ever tasted. Emmett's arms locked around mine, finally breaking me free. Bella moved as quickly as she could to the other side of the room where Carlisle waited. I was being dragged outside. Why?!

Edwards face was brutal anger. He had me by the shoulders, gripping and snarling. I growled back in response. It was his fault-he brought her to me!

"Jasper, get a handle on yourself, man, or Edward's gonna rip you to pieces." Emmett said, still clutching my hands. Let him try.

"Don't tempt me, Jasper," Edward replied to my thoughts. My sanity was creeping back in, and I could feel his anger. It didn't help me. "You need to clear your head right now. Go for a run with Emmett. I can't talk to you like this." A run was probably a good idea. I needed to be away from the blood and the anger. It was too much like my past. I nodded. I could hear Bella in the kitchen, talking to Alice and Carlisle. I could still smell her. I felt Emmett tugging on my arm, sensing my reluctance.

"Come on, bro. We got to get you out of here. What were you thinking?" What a question. I thought about it as we picked up the pace, trying to phrase it just right. I loved running with Emmett-his emotions were always so…neutral. He wasn't angry, just bewildered.

"I wasn't. Thinking, that is. It just happened so fast. The funny thing is, I was actually thinking about how it was silly that Edward made me keep my distance from Bella. But when I smelled her blood…I couldn't stop myself." I shrugged. He would understand.

"I get that. I mean, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but how was it?" I chuckled. Leave it to Emmett.

"You have no idea. I haven't had it in so long it was like…nothing I'd ever experienced. And Bella…is sweet. Very sweet. God, she probably hates me now!" I didn't want that. I actually kind of liked her. She was kind, and smart, and trusting-that was her flaw. And Alice adored her. We stopped running and sat down on a bluff above the river. Emmett didn't say anything. I heard something in the woods.

"How could you, Jasper?" It was Alice. I could feel her before I could see her. Grief, anger, disappointment. Always disappointed in me. I slumped. "She's part of our family, and you try and…and…_eat_ her?"

"I didn't want to! It just happened so fast, and she was bleeding a lot, and oh, God I wanted it…is she okay?" I didn't know if it was my emotions or hers, but I was really starting to feel what I had done. I was feeling something else, something beyond remorse. I felt pity for Bella, but…I wanted more.

"She's fine. _You_ didn't do much damage. Edward is taking her home right now. She needed a few stitches, but there was no venom." She was still radiating grief.

"I'll have to apologize to her as soon as she's well. I really am sorry." Alice's face softened. Apologize I will do-and then I'll finish what I started. I couldn't believe I was having these thoughts! But I had never wanted anyone more than her at this moment.

"That won't be happening any time soon." Alice stated simply, pacing back and forth.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw it. Edward is going to leave her, to keep her out of danger. He thinks it's for the best. He'll stay behind a few days with her, but the rest of us will be leaving tonight." She sighed, still pacing. That wasn't good for my plan. Or maybe it was.

"I'm not leaving. You all can go as you like, but I'm staying behind. I need time to think." I said bluntly. Alice scrunched up her face in pain.

"What do you mean? You can't stay! What will I do without you?"

"I won't be long, I promise. Get everyone packed up, and go ahead and take off. I swear I won't leave the house. I just…need to reflect for a bit, you know?" I hoped she would buy that. I hated lying to her, but I had no other option. She nodded.

"Okay, I get it. Just don't leave the house, and come join us in a few days. Okay?" she ran to me and hugged me. I patted her on the head, and bent down to kiss her.

"Of course. I just need to get over this alone, I think. And then I'll be up-a week tops. Let everyone know I'll miss them and see them soon." I'd only have to deal with Edward for a few days, and he'd be so preoccupied with Bella that he wouldn't even be paying attention to me. And once he was gone, I would make my move. I had been to Bella's house before-witnessed Edward climbing her window. If I could promise her anything, I would make it quick.


	2. Stay with Me

**Disclaimer-Not my characters! Although I'd take Jasper home in a second.**

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It was not easy to fool Alice.

So I wondered how I had done it so easily. Surely she would have seen my plan as soon as it formed. I made up my mind right there in front of her! But she kissed me goodbye and left me alone. I meandered slowly back to the house, careful to cease these delicious thoughts in my head, lest Edward get a glimpse. When I arrived back, he was sitting on the steps with his head in his hands. I could feel the pain flowing from him. It was strong enough that it very nearly brought me to my knees. All of this for a human? He looked up at me balefully.

"Yes, for a _human._ She was everything to me, Jasper, everything. But I can't stay with her. It's too dangerous-she'll only end up getting hurt. I'm going to stay tomorrow, and then the next day I'm going to leave her. How am I going to do it?" he wondered, more to himself than to me. I thought about trying to calm him, but it didn't seem fair-he should have his right to grieve. "Thank you, Jasper," he replied. All I could do was sit with him.

Edward went to school the next day. I merely wandered around the house, trying to decide the best way to do things while he was gone. I thought the middle of the night would be best, while she was sleeping. I really did like Bella; I didn't want to cause her any unnecessary pain. It was just her unfortunate talent of being much too appetizing for her own good. I would creep through her window and try my best not to wake her. By the time she would realize what was happening, it would be too late. I couldn't help but purr in anticipation. I wouldn't hunt until then.

The next day, Edward came home in a state of disbelief. "She let me go, Jasper. She believed me. And now she's gone. I can't stay here." I was choking on his pain. I couldn't understand, but I had never had to experience something like that myself.

"You can join the family in Denali. I'm sure Esme is worried about your wellbeing," I offered. Of course our over-protective mother of sorts would be missing her favorite son.

"I can't go back to them, not yet. I have to be alone. I can't stand to look into their faces. I don't want them to see me like this." Always so guilt ridden.

"Where will you go then?" I wanted to gag, it hurt so much.

"I was thinking of South America. I think Victoria headed that way, and I'd very much like to meet up with her. I'll check in with everyone once I get there. When will you be joining them?" Good question.

"I'm not sure. I promised Alice no more than a week. I think I'll take a few more days here and then head up."

"Give them my love, please. Tell Esme I'm okay, I just need to be alone right now. I'll see everyone soon enough." He turned and left in a flash, running south. It was mere seconds when I could no longer hear him anymore. I was glad when my emotions were my own again.

I knew he couldn't hear me, either. He would never have to know what I plan on doing. I won't think about it, ever again. I would have to do something about her body, afterwards. I couldn't just leave her there; my scent would be all over her if someone from my family decided to visit. And the wound would be too apparent. There should be closure. Making it look like an accident seemed like the fairest thing. An animal attack, maybe? I could take her into the woods and make it look like she was attacked. It would be like Bella to get lost in the woods. Perhaps I would leave a note. It was odd, having to plan this out. I haven't had to think like this in a while. In a sick way, it was almost refreshing to get back to my roots. I won't let myself feel ashamed right now; there would be plenty of time for guilt later. I knew what was in store for me once I was through, and I would pay that penance when I got there.

It was after midnight when I decided to go.

I could smell her when I hit the driveway. My mouth watered in anticipation as I climbed the tree outside her room to peer inside. The smell was intoxicating-better than I remembered. It took every ounce of self control not to leap through the open window and take her right then and there. At first glance, it looked like she was sleeping. I watched her for a moment, and realized she wasn't. She was sobbing quietly into her pillow. I let myself feel her, and then wished I hadn't.

I had never been in so much pain. Worse than pain was the feeling of abandonment, self loathing and pity. If I was interpreting correctly, she was feeling like she deserved this. Like she had it coming. I couldn't help but be mad at Edward right then, for doing this to her.

"Why? He's gone…he's gone…not good enough…no one loves me…" she was muttering while she rocked back and forth. Tears flowed seamlessly down her face, which was contorted with grief. Her brown hair was mussed, and I could see bits of earth wound up in the tangles. Why was that, I wondered.

I was torn. Part of me wanted nothing more than to rush into her room and comfort her all night-make all her pain go away. The other part wanted to end her pain in another way. If I bit her, she wouldn't hurt anymore. I balanced on this edge, undecided on which way to fall. I was so deep in thought I didn't hear her stir from her place and walk to the window.

"Jasper?!" she cried, stumbling back from the window and landing on the floor. Way to go, Jasper, give yourself away! I leapt through the window and landed in front of her. What to say…

"Bella. I'm…sorry. I stayed behind, and I couldn't resist coming to check on you. I'm glad I did." I wanted to kick myself for such a pathetic excuse. I had just tried to take her life a few days ago, and now I wanted to check on her wellbeing?

"Thanks, Jasper. It means a lot, knowing someone was thinking about me. I just…don't know what to do. I can't go on like this. But I promised." She wasn't making a whole lot of sense. She seemed fairly overwhelmed-I decided to calm her down a bit. She probably wouldn't notice. And why wasn't she alarmed by my sudden appearance? Surely she thought I was a dangerous monster.

"I'm sorry about the other day as well. I can't believe I let myself go like that. I hope you can forgive me. If Edward and Emmett hadn't been able to pull me off of you…" I wouldn't be here trying to finish you off right now.

"I told Alice I wasn't mad at you. It's just your nature. It was my fault, anyway. If I would have been more careful, he might still be here." She is always so ready to blame herself for others mistakes. She was selfless.

"Thank you, Bella. It won't happen again." No, because next time you won't wake up.

"Jasper?" she looked up at me timidly. I raised my eyebrows at her, wondering what she could possibly want.

"Will you…stay with me tonight? I know it's a really weird request, and I totally understand if you don't want to stay. But I could really use at least one more good night's sleep before my world falls to pieces." Her voice broke on the last word. Her emotions were such that I couldn't deny her anything. She was entitled to one last request. I nodded, and she crawled back into bed. I sat in the rocking chair across from her, sending waves of calm and peacefulness her way until she fell asleep. I would let her have a few hours before I sent her away forever.

"Jasper…thank you…" she mumbled, rolling to where she was facing me. She looked so peaceful. And even through all the emotions I was _giving_ her, I could still feel her natural pain. Pain that my brother had caused. She was so innocent.

I was back to my ledge. I had seen Bella in the deepest grief imaginable. I still wanted her. But I wasn't sure if I could end her life, it didn't seem fair. How did I find myself in this position? It should have been so easy. Two days ago she was merely food. And now, alone in this room, she whispered my name with gratitude on her lips. I stood up and walked over to her bed, sitting gently on the edge. I watched her for a few minutes as she tossed and turned. I placed my cold hand on her neck, and she sighed.

**I hope I captured Jasper's tendancy to think strategically here-I wanted him to be as rational as possible. **


	3. Slip and Fall

**Disclaimer: All rights go to the great Stephenie Meyer.**

**Thanks for all the great reviews! I love them!**

I had to get out of here. I couldn't do this right now, when her emotions were so powerful-I would never survive the aftermath. I had expected her to be in pain, but not _this_ much pain. Her world was falling around her, and there was nothing she could do. Her lover is gone, her best friend is gone, and the family that very nearly adopted her is gone with them. She's been completely and utterly abandoned by everyone. But me. And she thought I had stayed behind to help her. I really _was_ a foul creature.

I leapt from the window and ran home as fast as I could.

It had been two days since the family left. Edward left that morning. I promised Alice I'd join her in no more than a week. But I couldn't do it then, when she trusted me to give her one more night. But I could wait. Surely tonight was the worst, when the shock was so fresh. In a day or two, her pain would diminish and I could proceed. I waited for the dawn, and watched the sun rise.

I decided that I could probably go ahead and pack my room up, since I wouldn't be needing most of my things right now. I was there when I heard a noise out front. I had been so absorbed that I didn't hear anyone approach, which was odd for me. Bella had my mind all tangled in snarls. I went to the top of the stairs and inhaled. Human. I inhaled deeper. Bella. She really was looking for it, wasn't she? Walking straight into the lion's den, when the keeper wasn't here to protect her. I hesitated, wondering if I should even open the door. She might think I was out.

"Jasper?" she whispered from the porch, peering through the window. I heard her mutter "Please be home," under her breath. Her sadness made me want to choke again. I pulled the door open.

"What can I do for you, Bella?" I tried to sound as pleasant as possible. In the end, my curiosity got the best of me, and I had to know why she came. It's not like we were ever particularly close-we barely spoke. I was always very cautious so I wouldn't hurt her. I laughed inwardly at my pathetic farce. When the cat is away, the mouse will play.

"Why did everyone leave me?" she whispered, staring at me with pleading eyes. Her face was red from crying, and she still had debris in her hair. It didn't take a genius to realize that she wouldn't recover from this. I wouldn't lie to her. I would give her everything she wanted until she gave me everything _I_ wanted.

"Sit down, Bella." I motioned to the couch. She flinched when she entered, but joined me regardless. "What did Edward say to you when he left?" I thought it best to start there, realizing that I didn't know what he told her. It couldn't have been what he told us-that it was for her safety.

"He said…that he didn't…_want_ me anymore. That he was tired of trying to be human for me. He didn't want me to go with him." A fresh wave of tears fell down her face. The feeling that came over me as I watched her cry as a new one for me. I struggled, and felt…sad with her. And it wasn't because of my ability. I wanted to wipe the tears away and comfort her, because it seemed like the right thing to do. I've never had much experience with human emotions, not for a long time, and I was shaken by this bit of humanity surfacing.

"That's…appalling and untrue." I stated bluntly. "The reason that he left, and took the family with him, was for your safety. You see, Edward is essentially a…worrisome creature. He worries mostly about you-that you're not safe within our world. After your birthday party, he saw the danger again firsthand. He thought at the very least you would be safe within our home, but when he failed to protect you there…it tore him apart." I paused to let that sink in. She was feeling angst, and disappointment, and grief.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that he left to protect you. He couldn't stand to be the reason you were constantly in danger. He still cares about you deeply-I believe that he always will. But he wasn't willing to sacrifice your life." I noticed that she wasn't crying now-how odd. I would have thought this news would upset her more.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Has he _met_ me? I don't find danger, it finds me! All the time! And he thinks he could protect me from that? What if I walk off a bridge, or get hit by a car? Is that his fault too? Wasn't it enough to just…just…_love me_?" Anger. I watched her stand furiously and march around the room. Her hair was flying wildly, and madness sparkled in her eyes. She was quite…radiant. I surprised myself with that terminology.

"Bella, you should have seen this coming. Back when you were attacked by James, Edward tried to get you to go to Jacksonville-for your safety. And when you first met-it was the same. He said you shouldn't be friends. But he couldn't tear himself away then-he felt he had to protect you. But when someone in his own family turned on you-it was the last straw. He thought his family loved you-that you were as good as one of us and that we would never hurt you. He forgot our true nature. I've already apologized for that."

"Boy, you don't hold anything back, do you?" she fumed at me, still pacing.

"No. You wanted the truth. Now you have it." What more did she want? I wouldn't coddle her like Edward, or distract her like Alice. As she paced, I watch the blood flow to her cheeks. It was like a neon sign, pointing me in that direction. I watched her, wondering what she was thinking. It must have maddened Edward. Suddenly she rounded on me, ready for more questions.

And then she fell.

It was her nature. Always so clumsy. Like the last time, I could smell it before I could see it. She had tried to catch herself with her hands, and wound up scraping her palm. Not ideal, but enough to push me over the edge again. She looked into my eyes and saw my desire. Blood flushed her face again, and I was off the couch.

I pulled her to me to where her body was flush against mine. I had one arm around her waist and the other grasping her injured hand. It was a lover's embrace. I brought her hand to my mouth and began to suck. I could feel her panicking as she struggled, but it was useless. I imagined that her eyes were wide with terror, but I didn't bother looking at her face. This was heaven again. It was hot and sweet and everything I remembered. If I could, I would have lolled my head back in pleasure. She continued to struggle.

"Jasper, stop! No! Not like this! Remember who I am! Its me-it's Bella! I don't want to go like this…" she pleaded, crying out. I felt her go limp in my arms. Wonderful. "Jasper…no…I need you…" I pulled away, stunned.

I shook her to get her to look at me. "What did you just say?" I growled. I wasn't the nice guy anymore.

"I said that I need you," she said, staring at me. I looked into her eyes, and I didn't see the fear anymore. She was looking at me like I had made a simple mistake-not that I tried to take her life. She was still scared, but strong. Brave. She was trying to call to my humanity.

I let her go.

"Go. Now." She hesitated. "Go!" I screamed. She ran. I could hear her truck start up and fly down the driveway. I didn't move from my position. What am I doing? She's done nothing to me! I knew when Edward took her in that she was…desirable. I smelled her every day. Why, now, is the pull so hard for me? Surely I was strong enough to beat this. What kind of monster was I? I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket.

Alice.

I pulled myself together and answered. "Hello, love."

"I know what you did." Well, so much for that. "I didn't tell Edward-he's not here right now. But if you try and pull that again, Jasper, I swear I will come down there and kill you myself. You can't come back here." Her voice choked at the end. She was leaving me. It's what I deserved.

"What do you mean?" I stuttered.

"I mean that Bella needs you more than I do. I know you can feel it-that she needs you! I know why you stayed; I was just hoping that your course would change. But know this-I'm watching you. Think about what you're doing, and who you're doing it to. Think about Bella. I'll think of something to tell the others."

The line went dead.


	4. Anything for Love

**disclaimer: only the story belongs to me-the characters belong to Stephenie!**

**Many thanks for all the lovely reviews! **

What have I done?

How could I have gotten so involved with this that I forget to take Alice into account? She saw everything! What was worse was that she saw my decision before she left, when I thought I had fooled her, and she trusted me to make a better decision. I let her down. And now I've pushed her away. In a single blow I've lost my wife, my family, and Bella's trust.

I wasn't sure why _that_ aspect of the situation hit me so hard. I've said before that Bella and I were never particularly close, and my main goal these last days has been to cause her fatal harm. So why now was it sinking in? Perhaps it was the look on her face there at the end, when she stopped struggling. The fear that radiated from her because of me. In the past, when I would have my victims, I didn't know them personally. I knew Bella's quirks, I knew her laugh, I knew what made her blush.

And then there was what Alice said before she hung up. _Bella needs you more than I do._ She expected me to help her get through this. Instead, I try to eat her! After seeing that, how could Alice consciously leave her alone with me?! In all sense, she should run down here now and pull me away! As I wondered these things, I began to get angry. How _dare_ she leave me with so few answers?! If she is going to abandon me now, she was going to give me some rhyme or reason. Her cryptic musings were of no use to me now.

I grabbed the phone and dialed Tanya's number.

It was Carlisle who answered. _"Hello, Jasper."_ He answered. Tanya must have caller i.d.

"Hello, Carlisle. Is Alice available?"

_"I'm afraid not, Jasper. Alice has…left us. She didn't give much reasoning, except that something passed between the two of you. She was very distressed, but said it was of the utmost importance that she leave. Esme's been quite distressed. Edward hasn't returned, and with you not able to return, she's very lonely." _It wasn't like Carlisle to try guilt on me; Esme must be very upset. Why wouldn't she be? Three of her family members had left her for reasons mostly unknown to her.

"I see. I apologize for Esme's distress, Carlisle. But Alice is right-I can't come back right now. I can no longer speak for her. Please give Esme my love and tell her I'll see her soon." I hung up without waiting for a response. I couldn't play calm for another second. Not only did she leave me, she left the family as well. So it was real-she wasn't coming back to me. I sank to the floor and lay down. I didn't want to bother moving anymore-what was the point?

The sun had set as I stared at the ceiling. I had nothing, and it was my fault. I had let my bloodlust get in the way again, and nobody could stand to be near me anymore. Not even my own wife. I could hear the rumble of a car moving closer to the house. It was probably just someone turning around, so I didn't bother to move. I closed my eyes and tried to tune everything out. That's when I heard the footsteps.

I inhaled, trying to recognize the scent. Bella? Why on earth would she come back after what I did this morning? She was insufferable! She knocked once, feebly. I could feel her anxiety through the door-she was probably hoping I was gone.

I sighed, but rose to my feet and answered the door. "What is it, Bella?" I said, all politeness gone. I didn't have it in me any longer. She peered through her long hair and tried to smile.

"I'm sorry about this morning. I should have watched what I was doing. Please don't leave because of me." She was feeling desperate. In combination with my own despair, I couldn't bother turning her away. I felt drained. I motioned for her to come in.

"Bella, please stop apologizing. You did nothing wrong. I was the one who tried to take your life because you fell and scraped your hand. You're quite lucky I was able to stop. So why did you come back? It couldn't be just to apologize."

She shook her head. "No, you're right. To be honest I just needed the company. You were the first person I thought of. You remind me…" she trailed off, but I knew what she wanted to say. I reminded her of him.

"I'm afraid I won't be much company right now. Aren't you afraid, anyway? I mean, I've tried to kill you twice this week." She should be terrified. That was one thing about Bella-she was never afraid when she should be.

"Not really. Of course I'm worried about it, but it's your nature. And besides, it's not like I have anything going for me anyway." I flinched at this phrase. "What's wrong with you? You seem…sad." I found it funny that she could go from a conversation about me trying to kill her to how I was feeling in one sentence. I didn't have the energy to lie to her.

"Alice left me." I stated. "She said I couldn't come back to her, and then when I called her back she was gone. Nobody knows where she went. In combination with Edward's departure, the family has fallen apart." There was no need to go into further detail. Her emotions flipped from her grief to mine in mere seconds. I heard her sharp intake of breath. Suddenly we were the same-two broken souls with nowhere to turn.

"Oh, Jasper…I'm so sorry." She met me on the floor and threw her arms around me in a sudden embrace. I was so shocked I reacted in the only way I knew how-I put my arms around her as well. We were grieving together, and I no longer lusted for her blood. At least not this moment. This was ours. I knew no matter what happened after this I would always remember this. I felt her shudder as the tears flowed down her face. Strangely enough I could feel my eyes prick as well, knowing no tears would fall. She was gone, and she was never coming back to me. I had no love, no mate. I was alone in this world-just like when I came in. And she, who hadn't known love until Edward, she was alone as well. She would always have a hole in her heart where he belonged. We sat like that for an eternity.

Alice's POV

I have to hurry. I couldn't let my pain overshadow my mission-not this time. I would grieve when it was done. Grieve for the love I had to let go. Grieve for the friend I had lost. Grieve for the brother I would break. I had to catch him before he changed his mind-and he would. It would only be a matter of time before he decided to make his way back, and he couldn't. If he found them like that…it would break everyone. I had to do my part to heal the people I loved, even if that meant I would never be healed myself. I thought about my vision as I ran-it seemed to occupy my thoughts.

Bella was with Jasper. They were talking-he was explaining our decision. She was angry. Jasper was…anxious. I saw this thought mulling through his head for a while, but didn't think he'd really act on it. When Bella fell, I just knew. I thought for a moment he would take her, but she convinced him otherwise. She reminded him she was human. I saw them later, embracing on the floor. This was after I left. But I left because of a vision I had that takes place much later than now. I couldn't pin down an exact time, but if this was September, I was guessing this was around February. It was also conveniently when Edward would decide to check on Bella. I saw her and Jasper on our bed. Kissing. He was holding her, and she was pressing herself against him. He eagerly accepted, and then I tuned it out. He was going to love her. Who was I to stand in the way of love?

I had to get to Edward. He and I were going to go through this together; he just didn't know it yet. For now, I just had to convince him to go back to the family. Esme couldn't stand the thought of us so broken; if I could bring him back with me, we could have that time to heal. And when it was time…I'd tell him. Because he'd get suspicious. It was his nature. And then, it would be all of us with him. We could help him get through it. If the time came, and Bella and Jasper came forward…well, we'd cross that bridge when it came. His course might change-I would be looking for that. I didn't _want_ this to happen, but I couldn't find a way around it. It was already too late. I looked into it, I really did! But he was going to love her, I was sure.


	5. Heal Me

**Disclaimer: Don't thank me, thank Stephenie Meyer for these lovely characters!**

**Thanks to the wonderful reviews I've gotten for this! Especially Rocker-chick-12345, who sincerely floats my ego!**

I don't know how long we sat like that.

The next thing I knew, Bella had fallen asleep, fitful and depressed, in my arms. As quietly as I could, I scooped her up and took her into Carlisle and Esme's room, depositing her on their bed. Out of all the rooms in the house, I thought she'd be most comfortable there. Edward's room was out of the question, she never got along with Rosalie, and my room…would be too uncomfortable. She didn't fuss when I laid her down, so I sat on the edge of the bed and just watched her. It didn't escape my mind that if I wanted her blood, now would be the time to take it.

The only explanation that I could come to was that I wasn't myself around Bella. At least, not the self that I was for all of these years. Next to Carlisle, I was the oldest one in the house-and yet, I've never felt like this before. To meet someone who trusted me _completely_ was…new. Even Alice, my wife for so long, didn't trust me fully. She was constantly aware of my every move-afraid I would slip. I knew it was for the safety of others as well as for our family, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. And then Bella-whom I've tried to kill twice now-still returns to me. And she's not afraid, either. I couldn't figure out why. My humanity, long since buried, resurfaced.

In the past, my victims were chosen spontaneously-whomever I passed by hungry, or whomever Maria decided to reward me with. The only emotions that came from them were fear and despair. Then it was over. Never have I felt this kind of trust. I didn't know if I could bring myself to harm her after what she had given me. And she didn't even know it. I watched her for hours. I finally understood what Edward found so compelling about this. The emotions that played from her while sleeping were incredible. And then she started talking.

"Edward….no….why…" she mumbled, frowning while she tossed and turned. Of course. Always dreaming of Edward, even after all he's done to her. I surprised myself with a spark of jealousy. "Alice…loved you…please stay…" and my wife, running out on the both of us. "Jasper…thank you." She smiled.

I couldn't describe the feeling then-when Bella uttered my name with a smile. I'll compare it to taking a drink from the river Lethe-all my past qualms, feelings of dread and betrayal, bloodlust-all forgotten in that moment. The pull of her blood ceased in me, exchanged with the pull from her soul. I wanted to know her. Even stranger, I wanted her to know me. I would tell her everything. I knew she would forgive me for wanting to take her life, but she still had the right to know. And then, when we were clean, we could begin again. We've both been abandoned by those we loved-who else did we have but each other?

Bella started to stir around dawn. I had taken the liberty of calling Charlie while she was asleep, pretending to be Angela's dad. She opened her eyes, spinning them around the room, until they settled on me. Instantaneously that delicious blush crept up her cheeks, and she flung herself out of bed.

"Oh my God, Jasper! I'm so, so, so, sorry! I can't believe I fell asleep here? Who's room is this, anyway? And oh no, what about Charlie?" She was running around frantically, back and forth across the room. I went to her and grabbed her by the arms.

"Easy, Bella. This is Carlisle and Esme's room-I thought it would be best. And don't worry about Charlie, it's taken care of. He thinks you're at Angela's house. Everything's okay." What weighted words those were.

"Oh, thanks, I think. I really didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that, I guess I was just exhausted. With everything that's happened, I just kind of…fell apart." She smiled sheepishly at me, trying to project false happiness. I raised an eyebrow at her-had she forgotten my gift? The blush again. Nope.

"It's not a problem, Bella, really. I kind of fell apart as well." I grimaced. She didn't say anything, only nodding. "Bella, I have something I need to say to you." Suddenly she was feeling embarrassment and disappointment. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at me.

"What?" was all she mustered. Then it dawned on me-she probably thought I was trying to get rid of her!

"Stop feeling like that, Bella. It's not as bad as all that. Mostly. Just hear me out, okay?" she nodded. I took an unnecessary breath and began. "I can't apologize enough times for my behavior these last few days. I just…well, to be honest I wanted your blood." She blanched. "After your birthday party, I couldn't stop thinking about you-but not in a good way. I wanted nothing more than to have your blood. Every. Last. Drop. I stayed in order to accomplish that. And then, when you came back the other day, I thought that would be it. But when you asked me to stop…I broke. I let you go. When Alice called, I lost myself completely. But you comforted me. I can honestly say that I'm over that part of me. You've made me see humanity again, Bella, and I'll understand if you want to leave and never come back. But I have no one else." Selfish, selfish, selfish! I'm trying to guilt her into staying now? I felt like I had the words 'lost puppy' printed on my shirt.

"So let me get this straight. You've been hanging out with me these last few days just so you could eat me?" How crass, but true. I nodded at her. "Okay then. But you're over it now?" I nodded again. Put me in time out, I'm like a child! Bella shrugged. "I would have let you, you know." This came out as a whisper. My eyes shot up in surprise.

"Let me? What do you mean?" She couldn't possibly mean…

"I mean that I think I knew that when I came the second time. And I was okay with it-I wanted it, actually. I was tired of hurting. But then I thought of Charlie and Renee, and how I couldn't bear to leave them. I knew I had to beg you to stop, but…if you didn't, I would have been okay with it." I was blown away. She was feeling nothing but despair and sincerity. I was a loathsome fool.

"Bella, I don't know where to begin! I was a complete fool to want that from you. And to think how you felt…here's the thing. I want us to get past this. I know we haven't been close, but the way I see it is that we've both been abandoned. I'm here for you, if you want me." Please want me.

"Of course, Jasper. What's done is done. The last few days have been hard, but it's a comfort knowing that I'm not alone in this. For curiosities sake, where would you have gone if I had said no?" I had actually not given this much thought, because I only saw one option.

"I have no other family. I would have gone to the only other place people knew me and I would be comfortable. I would have gone to the south to find Maria." She frowned.

"Maria? She was the one who changed you, right?" Apparently Edward had given my past away to her, and I was glad of it. I didn't feel like sitting through _that_ story again.

"Yes. And it would have meant reverting to the way I was."

"No more vegetarian Jasper?" she smiled meekly, trying to make a joke. I couldn't help but smile at her wording.

"Nope. But I don't want to do that. I'm not sure what my future holds, but for right now, why don't we try to…help each other through this." She shocked me when she stood up and came to me. I was still sitting on Carlisle's bed. She sat down next to me and, very carefully, placed her arms around my neck. I tensed for a moment, but her compassion nearly overwhelmed me. I could do nothing but reciprocate.

"Jasper?" she mumbled into my chest, "Why do you think this happened to us?" A thousand reasons. None of them good enough.

"I can't know that. They've given us their reasoning, that's all we can take. We just have to do our best to come out of this…okay." Unscathed would be the wrong wording. She nodded against me. At least I wasn't alone in this.

**So the mending begins! Here's what I want from you guys. I'd like to keep this story away from the norm, so if there's anything you'd like to see happen while they're "mending" let me know. It's not going to be an over-night thing. You just can't get dumped and then 4 days later jump into someone elses arms! But I want it to be fun, and romantic, and maybe even a bit angsty. I've got some ideas, but I want to keep you guys in mind as well. And don't worry-that's not the last we'll see from Alice and the _rest_ of the Cullens!**


	6. Baby Steps

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

**I didn't get as many responses as I'd hoped to, but I appriciate the ones I got! Many thanks to Slam2k, who influenced where this story was going. **

Two whole weeks.

That's how long Bella and I had been at this 'friend' thing. I had to admit, it was going…well. Most of the time. We had a little bit of an issue about a week ago, when Bella tripped and cut her knee. It went exactly the same as last time-I was on her before she blinked, but she was able to shake me out of it. I still wasn't sure how she was able to do that, but I was glad she was. But it was like every time she hurt herself, all I could think about was her blood. So that's where we stood. She had arrived this morning about nine, and she was looking, and feeling, rather mischievous.

"So…I have a plan." She was full on grinning now. I looked at her, frightened, and sat down on the couch. I nodded for her to continue. This couldn't be good. "I think I have an idea to help you with this whole 'eating me' thing." Uh oh. There were only two options I could think of to stop my bloodlust-either she became a vampire or I finish her off. I couldn't see where she was going with this.

"I don't understand. You do remember that I'm a vampire, right?" I asked her, not entirely sure anymore. She grinned bigger.

"Of course, silly! What do you know about AA?" she chuckled.

"AA? You mean Alcoholics Anonymous? I have to admit, not much, considering I can't drink alcohol. What about it?" This couldn't get any stranger.

"Well, they have this kind of…twelve step program. It's what they use to completely overcome their addiction. I was thinking that maybe we could come up with a program like that for you. To get over human blood-my blood specifically. I'm getting tired of getting tasted." She grinned again. I had to admit, I liked this mood on her. I could feel her joy, and in turn it was making me happy. It was a weak joy, but it was there.

"So you want me to go on some kind of program to get over your blood?" I asked, unconvinced. She was sitting across the room-it was safer that way-and bouncing in her seat. This must really have her riled up!

"Yes. It works for them; I don't see why it wouldn't work for you. We can start small. We've already…hugged, so we know that's not a problem. What's the worst part for you, aside from actually coming in contact with my blood?" She was serious.

"You do realize that alcoholics don't _need_ the alcohol. I survive on blood."

"I know that. But I'm serious! Answer my question. What's the worst part?"

"Alright. When we're here, in my house, the air circulates. Your smell doesn't bother me so much here, because I can get a breath of fresh air every now and then. But, if we were to be in a car for example, I think it would be…difficult." Imagining Bella and I locked in a car made my mouth water, and that wasn't helping.

"Great! So maybe we could go on a car ride. I've got the weekend off-maybe we could drive to Port Angeles! I bet we could get a hotel room up there, so that we wouldn't have to drive back in the same day. Would that make it easier?" I didn't know if I could do that. But I haven't been out of the house with the exception to hunt since the family left 3 weeks ago, so it might do me some good. And Bella's right-if we stayed overnight it would be better.

"Are you sure you want to lock yourself in the car with me for an hour?" I grinned, trying to cover up my nervousness. I couldn't feel any fear from her.

"Yep. I trust you, Jasper. And hey-if it gets to be too much, we could just pull over for a minute. So what hotel do you want to stay in? I don't have a lot of money to dedicate to this." She frowned. Apparently she hadn't thought that far ahead.

"We can keep it cheap. I'm not like the rest of them-I don't have to have the best of everything. I grew up in the south, remember?" I smirked, feeling her surprise. It was true, though. I didn't have the feel for extravagance like the rest of my 'family.' What I didn't tell her was that there was enough money in this house to fund several lifetimes.

"Really? Alright…how about we chill at the Holiday Inn?" she laughed. I laughed with her. I felt…free. Right now, in this room, there were no expectations. I didn't have to put up an act. I didn't have to feel the tension that came along with my presence in front of my family. For the first time in my life-my whole life-I was trusted. Bella had complete faith in me, and it was glorious.

"I like that idea. I hear they have excellent cinnamon rolls." She rolled her eyes at me.

That Weekend

_Not food, not food, not food…_I chanted to myself. We had been in the car for approximately 45 minutes, and I was thoroughly impressed that I had managed not to rip the door off and fly out. Bella was driving-she thought it was best, in case I lost it and wrecked the car. "_If you wreck, then you can walk away. But what will be left of me?"_ Was her point. I grudgingly agreed, knowing she was right, but dreading the slow pace. The windows were rolled up, and the air conditioner was going. All it was doing was circulating her delicious smell around the cab of the truck. I watched her driving-I could see her pulse beating at her neck, and the blood flowing to her cheeks when she caught me watching. Surely my eyes were pitch black. Surely she could feel the danger.

Instead, she sat still, humming along with the radio, feeling only contentment. _Beat, flow, beat, flow…_her heart spoke. It was rhythmic, slow. I stared with wide eyes, venom flowing through my mouth. I was tensed like a snake, waiting to strike.

"Earth to Bella, the world can be an unfriendly place…" she was singing along with the radio-Incubus. And the song was perfect. _Earth to Bella, I can taste your sweetness._

"Oh! We're here, Jasper. You made it!" she turned to me and grinned. My lips pulled back, and I couldn't stop myself from snarling a little. Her smile faltered. "O…kay…so let's get out now. What do you say?" she said, opening her door at the same time. The outside air hit, and it was glorious. I shook my head and opened the door.

"You're very lucky I like you so much, Bella. I don't think you realized how close we got back there." I said to her, unsmiling as we walked to the hotel.

"I told you before. I trust you. Let's go check out our room." She turned and grabbed my hand, pulling me inside. All I could do was shake my head. No self preservation whatsoever.

The room wasn't much, but it was comfortable. Bella sat down on one of the beds and flopped backwards. She was so content; it was hard not to feel the same. I just looked at her for a moment, finally able to so do unclouded. She really was beautiful, Edward wasn't lying. I'd just never really _looked_ at her before-I only saw her blood. But as she lay there, all I could see was her. Her hair was splayed about her head, and her face was pleasantly flushed. She carried a smile that was for her alone. She was slender, but not too slender. She was exceptionally well proportioned, as a matter of fact. I hadn't noticed that she was staring at me as well.

I could feel her embarrassment before she spoke.

"What? What are you looking at?" she sat up, frowning at me.

"Nothing." _That_ was the best I could come up with? She frowned at me, but said nothing on the subject.

"So what do you want to do now? We have all night. We could rent a movie! Or several, so that you could have something to do while I sleep. I've wanted to see _Pride and Prejudice_ again for a while. What do you say?"

"Sounds good. Come on, let's go." I walked towards the bed, intending to help her up. She beat me to it, standing too quickly. She tried to catch herself, but ended up flinging herself forward. Automatically I reached out to stop her, but the angle was off. I grabbed her by the arms and flung her around me, catching myself on the bed. Inadvertently I had pulled her on top of me. Her breath hitched, and a flush caught her cheeks. But I didn't move. Why didn't I move? Her emotions changed from surprise to…lust. Well, that was new.

**Please remember, this story isn't going to move super fast. I dont' think that's how it should run. But I still want to hear from everyone!**


	7. Falling

**Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine!**

**Some of you may have noticed I changed the rating to M-it's purely for safety's sake. **

_Move her, Jasper! Don't just lay here!_ What is _wrong_ with me? In all honesty, I had only attempted to prevent her from falling. Instead, I knocked her on top of me, and we were laying on the bed. In the hotel room. Alone. And she was radiating feelings…well, let's just say it didn't help me out much. If I didn't move her soon, she was going to know _exactly_ how much. She was just staring down at me, blushed, not saying a word. I moved to a sitting position, and then stood her on her feet. She didn't move.

"Are you okay, Bella?" I asked, playing it cool. She just nodded. "Well, good. So…what would you like to do the rest of the evening?" Smooth.

"I, uh, don't know." Hmmm…nervous Bella?

"Well, you must be getting hungry. Let's order you some room service-Holiday Inn does that, right?-and maybe watch an in room movie?" That sounded nice and platonic.

"That sounds fine." If she kept this up, it was going to be a long night. Might as well get this over with.

"What's the matter, Bella?" I asked as innocently as possible.

"What? Oh…nothing." Did she _really_ think she could lie to me? I merely raised my eyebrows at her. "Oh, fine! I know you felt what I did when I fell, Jasper. Quit trying to play the gentleman. You must think I'm…I don't know…gross or whatever." I couldn't help but laugh at her. Edward was right-she didn't see herself right. I immediately cursed myself for thinking about him.

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it, Bella. It's nothing, really. And…if it makes you feel better…I felt it too." _What?!_ Immediately I wanted to search for something to crawl into. Why did I say that? There was the blush again. If she didn't stop that, we were going to have serious problems.

"You're only saying that to make me feel better, Jasper. But I'll take it. So I'm going to pretend that I didn't just make a total fool of myself and take your advice. Dinner and a movie it is!" she exclaimed, but I could still feel the embarrassment flowing from her in buckets. Instead of pressing the issue, I just agreed. She ordered a turkey sandwich, and we decided to watch _Pride and Prejudice,_ like she wanted in the first place. I didn't watch-I sat with my eyes closed, letting myself feel her emotions change. It was a wonderful cacophony of feelings-sadness, anger, love…and then I watched her cry at the end.

"Why are you crying?" I asked her. The ending was happy-Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth loved each other. That was good, right?

"You'll think I'm silly," she sniffed.

"Impossible. We're friends, right? I could never think you're silly."

She sniffed again. "It's like everyone gets their happy ending but me. There-happy now?" Oh, poor Bella. I knew exactly what she was feeling.

"Not at all. I understand completely. I don't get a happy ending, either, remember? It's just you and me now. We'll have to make our own ending." She nodded sadly, and got under the covers.

"You're right. I'll quit being negative for the night. So tell me, what did you think of step one in operation 'don't eat Bella'?" She grinned. I laughed at her loose usage of this little 'project.'

"I think it went remarkably well. You're still here, right? So tell me, master of the plan-what's step two?" She giggled and turned her head away from me.

"I was thinking…why don't you stay with me tonight?"

"I am staying, Bella. Two beds, remember?"

"Yes, I know that, but that's not what I meant. Now, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I thought maybe you could…lay with me tonight. So you would be close to me, you know? We haven't been in close proximity for that long. And if you get uncomfortable, you can just go across the room. And hey-plus side is, if you do slip up, I'll be asleep and won't know." I thought about it for a moment. She had a point-next to your hugging session a few weeks ago, we had hardly touched. And, selfishly, I wanted to lie next to someone again. Alice and I had never slept, but that doesn't mean we didn't pretend. It was nice to play human every now and then. But I couldn't help but worry about the repercussions on Bella's side. Edward had stayed with her almost every night since they met-how would she take this?

She must have felt my apprehension. "I know what you're thinking, Jasper. And I've thought about it-I'll be okay. I know you're not him." For some reason, that stung. But I would think about that later. I got up and moved next to Bella on the bed.

"Over or under the covers?" I asked. She just grinned and moved the comforter enough for me to wriggle in. I crossed my arms behind my head and closed my eyes. It wasn't long before Bella's breathing indicated she had fallen asleep. I listened to her steady breaths as the hours crept by. My mind wandered to Alice, as usual. What was she doing? I couldn't help but hope she was doing something that made her happy. I had been angry at her enough for leaving me-after all our years together I should learn to trust her. And, although I wasn't quite ready to admit it out loud, I was happy. As long as Bella was my friend, I was happy.

"Jasper…" she mumbled, rolling towards me. For a frantic moment I thought she was awake, but her eyes remained closed. She rolled her body towards me, flinging her arm around my waist. I stiffened, wondering what to do. Her fingers clutched at the fabric of my shirt, and she whimpered quietly. The only way to describe the sound was delicious. And she was so warm…I was appallingly aware that the feelings I had for her right now had nothing to do with bloodlust. This was a lust I had never felt for a human. Her fingers clutched in and out, kneading the fabric of my shirt and barely brushing my skin.

"Mmmmm…" she mumbled again, hitching her leg over my midsection. I'm going to hell for this, I thought. I didn't stop her, and I had no idea why. Bella was my friend-that was all. We were both broken souls. Surely she didn't know what she was doing. Maybe it was because I had been…without…for so long. That must be it. She was radiating desire, and I could smell her. I inhaled, and let my head fall back on the pillow. She gave a little jerk of her hips, and I nearly came undone. Never had I seen Bella anything like this. And if I didn't stop this now, I wasn't going to stop. And I knew Bella didn't want this-she was just dreaming. Carefully, I moved myself away from her and to the other bed. I wouldn't tell her about this when she woke up.

It took her a few hours, but eventually she started to stir. She opened her eyes groggily, searching for me.

"Over here, sleepy!" I called, laughing at her disgruntled expression. She took in my location and frowned.

"Oh, no Jasper! Was it that bad?" she mumbled, stumbling from bed.

"Not at all, dearest," I chuckled at her. "I just got bored. I made it through the whole night. I thought I'd get a head start on a shower, so it would be free for you. Step two complete!" She grinned at me.

"Great! I'll just go take a quick shower and we can head back to town." She took off with her overnight bag to the bathroom. Before she reached the door, she turned around. "Jasper? I didn't…say anything in my sleep last night, did I?" she asked, blushing. Ah, so she remembered the dream.

"Not at all. Just some mumblings, nothing out of the ordinary." Yes, I was definitely going to hell. There was no reason for her to know what happened, after all. She would only become embarrassed and I didn't want that. What she doesn't know won't hurt her.

Me on the other hand? I was rolling down a quick road I didn't need to take.

**I enjoy your reviews!**


	8. Surprises

**I thought Bella deserved her moment in the sun this time around.**

Bella's POV

Jasper and I made it home in record time-no surprises there. Overall, I think the trip went pretty well. He's done great being in such close proximity of me; I was really pleased. The only downside was that awkward moment when he caught me…the only way I could describe the way I felt was _naughty_. It's not like I thought about Jasper in that way! It's just…I haven't been that close with someone in a while, in such an unguarded manner. Even with…_him_…it wasn't that unrestrained. But it was just an accident-no big deal. It was _Jasper_ we're talking about. Jasper!

When I woke up the morning after our stay and found him on the other bed, I thought we had blown our second step. Or, even worse, that I acted out my little dream. _That_ would have been mortifying. I _still_ remember it vividly.

_We were outside, but not anywhere I recognized. It was in the forest somewhere-everything was green as usual. I felt…good. I felt like I had no reason to be sad anymore-that everything was okay. I looked down, and found myself holding hands with Jasper. Nothing about it felt strange. He looked at me and smiled, and I couldn't help but do the same. We came to a stop, still in the forest. Normally that would frighten me-I didn't like being places where I could get lost. But I felt safe, and it was nice with just the two of us. Jasper grabbed my other hand and turned to face me. His eyes were burning-it made me burn too. Suddenly it didn't matter where we were. He grabbed my face and pulled me to him._

_"Bella…love…I can't…I can't wait anymore." He whispered huskily. _

_"Me either," I replied, burning even hotter. Suddenly his lips crashed onto mine and I threw my arms around him. He was kissing me like…like no one else in the world could ever kiss me. I heard his low growl-a growl of pleasure-as he lifted me up. We were in sync-I wrapped my legs around him and pushed myself to him. He was ground against me, and I couldn't help but push back…_

That's when it ended. I blushed at the thought of it, now that I was alone in my room. Honestly I had no idea where it came from-I've never even looked at Jasper that way-until now. When I woke up, and he was lounged on the other bed, I couldn't help it; the dream was fresh in my mind. He was beautiful-but so were the rest of them. Tall and slightly muscular with beautiful honey hair that fell just above his eyes, it was hard _not_ to find him attractive. But so what? So what if he was gorgeous? He was Jasper-and we were friends. I was just clutching on to anything that was close to _him._ I wouldn't think of it again.

We were moving on to step 3. We decided that the element of surprise would be where we headed next. Or, at least as much of a surprise as a clumsy human could spring on a vampire. It was one thing for me to walk up to Jasper and hug him. I was going to try running at him, throwing myself at him, jumping at him-anything to illicit 'the burn' which I've come to call it. He was apprehensive at first, afraid that it would be too much. But I trusted him. He'd come close to taking me out a few times, but quit. I was certain, if it came to it again, I could shake him out of it again. So that's where I was headed now. Charlie rolled his eyes at me when I told him I was heading out-he had no idea where I was going. I think he was just glad that this whole mess wasn't upsetting me as much as he thought it would. If he only knew.

I drove up to the house, knowing he could hear me. It still panged my heart to see this house without all of its inhabitants. When I stopped in the driveway, I could see his honey-hair poking out behind the curtain. I chuckled, knowing he could probably hear me.

"Think something's funny, do you?" he asked, playfully. If you would have told me 2 months ago that Jasper Hale, king of the sulking vampires, could be playful with a human (and not eat them directly afterwards) I would have laughed in your face. But I liked this Jasper-the real Jasper.

"Nope, just glad to see you're excited to see me." I rolled my eyes and followed him inside.

"So…how are you planning to illustrate this plan of yours, Ms. Swan?" he asked subtly, but I could feel the undercurrent of worry. Silly empath.

"I can't _tell _you, what good would that do?" I told him. "Why don't you pick out a movie, and I'll go make me some popcorn." He nodded and headed over to the massive DVD collection on the far wall. I paddled into the kitchen, still fully stocked with snacks for me, and grabbed a bag of microwave popcorn. I leaned against the counter listening to the kernels explode, saddened because they smelled so good and I wouldn't get a chance to eat them. When it was done, I threw it in the bowl and slowly rounded out of the kitchen. Jasper was standing in front of the DVD's, evidently still undecided. He's probably seen them all a thousand times. I was glad to see he was absorbed in something-it would make it slightly easier.

I took off running at him full speed, still carrying the bowl of popcorn. Seconds before we collided, he turned and saw me, eyes growing wide. I grinned and kept going. I threw the bowl of popcorn at him-some of it imbedded in his hair-and lunged myself out him. He caught me in midair. I did the only thing natural-I flung my legs around his waist. I looked up at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

No anger and he didn't look hungry. But he looked…alarmed. Surely I didn't surprise him that much-he was a vampire for Christ's sake! But then things started to sink in.

Jasper had his arms around my waist, and I had my legs around his. I was pressed just about as close to him as I could possibly be. My dream! Oh, kill me now. My face suddenly flushed tomato red and I struggled to get free from him. Why he carrying a stick in his pocket? What's he going to do with it? Wait…oh God.

He must have felt my embarrassment and alarm so he promptly set me on my feet. I was confident that if he could have blushed, he would have. I was blushing enough for the both of us.

"Surprise?" I whispered, trying to play cool. He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Surprise, indeed, little lady. Are you comfortable with step three now?" he asked, backing away from me towards the couch.

"Uh huh. Sorry about…the popcorn. I thought it would help with the smell, you know…" blah blah blah, Bella! What's the matter with you?!

"Nice thinking. It helped, I guess…" awkward stare. Boy, this was nice. Where's that hole I'd like to fall in?

"Good, good. So…did you pick out a movie or not? I'll have to go make some more popcorn-I don't really feel like eating you…I mean the popcorn in your hair, or whatever…" _Shut up, Bella!_

"Yeah…so you go do that, and I'll get the movie ready." Good plan! Run away! I sped towards the kitchen, catching my breath the whole way. I slammed into the counter, throwing my head down. That didn't just really happen, did it? I didn't just feel…and with Jasper…surely it was just an accident. Yes-just an accident.

**Don't worry-I know some people are afraid I'll have them in love like 4 weeks after Edward and Alice left. That's not the case. But that doesn't mean that she can't find him attractive, or vise versa, right? Denial only makes the heart grow fonder. **


	9. Boxes and Pieces

**Back to Jasper!**

If a vampire could die of embarrassment, I was certain that I would have.

Bella and her little schemes to 'desensitize' me-how far was she going to go? I understood the ride in the car, and sleeping next to her. Nothing nefarious there. But to come flying at me, throw food at me, and wrap your legs around my waist? Too far! I saw her coming. I was a vampire, after all-I could hear her sneaking around the corner and then her frantic footsteps coming my way. Hell, I'm not even upset about the popcorn in the hair. It did help, a little. That is, until I realized what position we ended up in. Bella acted unconsciously and threw her legs around me-I'm sure it was only a natural way to keep her balance. And, of course, in response I put my hands on her waist-to prevent her from falling, of course. What I _didn't_ expect was the feel of her…warm, soft, pliable in my hands…and that's what got me into trouble.

I was only a man, and could be counted on acting as such. She was a woman-an attractive woman-so I reacted naturally. Here I was, self-affirmed southern gentleman, growing hard while holding my 'brother's' ex girlfriend. And, bless her, she didn't even realize it at first. So innocent. And then I watched the realization dawn on her innocent little face-watched the blush grow to an alarming peak-and then she scrambled down.

Neither one of us had been bold enough to say anything about it. She apologized for the food, and then we watched a movie. She didn't waste any time leaving afterwards-probably mortified to be in the same room with me. Surely Edward never let her get that close to him. She probably thought I was a horrid creature-first, I try to suck her blood on numerous occasions, and then I let…_that_…happen. She was right to run away. But in all honesty, it was just being in that position with her…it had nothing to do with her…I think. At least, that's what I'm going to tell myself. I spent the two days after our second little 'incident' hunting and thinking-about nothing really. Just dull thoughts to keep my mind busy. I wouldn't be surprised if Bella never came over again.

But leave it to her to have more faith in me than I deserved.

The following Friday I was up in my room tolling away, packing up Alice's things. She didn't leave much behind, but I couldn't look at it anymore. I had moved on into being incredibly angry at her for leaving me with such a cryptic explanation. I was still saddened by her departure, and I honestly wanted to trust her words, but why? After all these years, what could she have seen to drop me like she did? I heard a tentative little knock on the door. Bella.

"Hey, Jasper. How's…things?" she asked, walking past me into the living room.

"Good. Hunting, packing, cleaning, the usual. You?"

"Same old, same old. Moping, cooking, school…nothing fancy. What are you packing? Are you leaving?" she asked, morosely.

"What? Oh-no. There were some things of Alice's in my room that…I wanted to dispose of. No big deal." I saw realization dawn on her face, followed by an overwhelming sense of pity.

"Oh, Jasper…I'm so sorry. Would you like me to help?" She reached out and touched my arm, and I was moved. I just couldn't get over how strange it was for me to care for a human like this-as a friend. I saw humans as just that-humans. Meant for food, and an untouchable source. But Bella wasn't human. She was my friend.

"You don't have to do that, Bella. It's kind of sad work," I tried my hand at a smile.

"But I want to! I was thinking-you've been doing so good lately at not eating me that I thought we should change this program your on." I laughed at her callous wording.

"Change as in…" I wasn't sure I could handle anymore of Bella's little plans.

"Well, maybe it could involve both of us, instead of just you getting over something. Maybe it could be…getting over them. We could call it 'Operation Jasper and Bella get over Alice and…Edward." She had said his name-something she had neglected to do since he left. Suddenly I was proud of her. It was a good idea, too-we could both use some healing.

"Well, little lady, I think you've got yourself a deal. But I think your name is kind of lengthy…how about 'Operation Moving On.' That's fitting, and easier to say." I grinned at her.

"Wonderful. So let's get started! Today, we'll do your room, and maybe tomorrow, just for the sake of it, we could pack up some of…Edward's…things." She did it again! Good girl.

"Sounds like a plan. Why don't we get started-I've just started on her closet." This would be good-being in Alice's closet, where everything smelled of her, was hard. But with Bella here, I wouldn't focus so much on it. I lead Bella up to my room-I refused to call it our room anymore-and grabbed a box off the floor. Bella stood in the doorway, just looking around. "What is it?" I asked.

"It's just…I can _feel_ her in here. I loved her, too, Jasper, and I'm going to miss her." I heard her sniff, and I could feel her sadness for her lost sister. I could only nod at her-I knew how she felt. Everything about this room screamed "Alice" and it killed me. Bella sucked in a deep breath, steeled herself, and walked towards the closet.

"Everything in there is hers. It doesn't matter what goes where-just put it in a box." It's not like she would come back for it. I heard Bella start gathering shirts, pausing every now and then and inhaling. I heard her mumble "apples…Alice smells like apples…" under her breath. I could smell her crying, too. But I wouldn't comfort her now. I realized that she wasn't just grieving the loss of Edward-she was grieving the loss of all of them. Carlisle and Esme-parents in a sense. Alice-her sister in every way but blood. Emmett-her brother who loved her, even though he never said it. And Rosalie-who secretly only wanted the best for her. We worked in silence for most of the afternoon, just packing everything up. Eventually we had it all done, and I moved the boxes into a spare storage closet. I was almost exhausted as I joined Bella on the floor of the now-empty room.

"Thanks," I said. I didn't know what else to say. She had effectively helped me pack up my life and put it away. Alice was in boxes, and I was alone now. I couldn't stop the grief that radiated off of me, sure that Bella could feel it. I looked over and saw her crying, confirming my thoughts. "Sorry…" I mumbled.

"No, Jasper, don't you be sorry for a thing. It's _them_ who should be sorry!" I was shocked by her sudden wave of anger. "Just so they could go…gallivanting off to new horizons, looking for 'distractions' and whatever else makes them happy…they _left_ us, Jasper! For no good reason. And what's left of us?" She stood up abruptly and marched up the stairs to the 3rd floor-Edwards room. She flung the door open with wild abandon.

I watched her stand in the doorway as she had done in my room, but this time she seethed. She turned to the wall that housed his CD's-only I knew he didn't need them anymore, they all reminded him of her-and pulled them all off the shelves with a sweep of her hand. "I can't listen to music anymore…"

She grabbed his journals, which he had piled on the floor, and ripped the pages out. "If I can't have my memories, neither can he!" she screeched, throwing the pages everywhere. I watched as they fluttered around her, red and angry, and just let her go.

She marched into his closet and started ripping his clothes off the rack and throwing them as well. "I can _smell_ him, damnit!" she cried, but didn't stop. I let her go, watching her path of destruction as she went. She destroyed his whole room that way, screaming all the while. When she was finished, she turned to me and smiled.

"Jasper, don't you ever be sorry for feeling sad. They did this, not us. And we'll get through it-together." And she walked out of his room. The phrase "zero to sixty" flashed into my mind. I knew she needed it, and I was glad of it. That was for Edward-she wanted to get as close to him as possible, and that's all she could do. Now she could start to heal. Now _we_ could start to heal.

Alice was in boxes and Edward was in pieces, and Bella and I would be okay.

**I really didn't think this chapter would go like it did, but I like it. Also, I have to say something. I know, in virtually every Jasper/Bella story he calls her darlin'. I don't think I can do that because I don't see him saying that. So please, don't hold it against me! **


	10. Leave It

**Hey Guys! Please note I've changed my penname. **

"Jasper? Was I really that scary?" Bella asked me. We were in Edward's old room-after her little 'tantrum', we had waited a week before going back in. But Bella decided it was time Edward joined Alice in the closet.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Bella was the least threatening thing I could imagine.

"These journals-read some of these entries." She thrust Edward's most recent journal at me. I opened it up, starting somewhere near the center.

_"She's so breakable-I fear each time I touch her will be my last." _

And another, two weeks later:

"_I worry for her, every day. Each time she walks into this house she risks her life."_

And one more, a week from that:

_"Jasper lunged at Bella this evening. It was everything I've ever feared, played out before my eyes. She deserves so much better."_

That one hurt. I couldn't help but think it was all my fault we were both in this situation. It seemed so long ago-feeling like if I didn't have her I wouldn't survive. Being with her now, like this, I couldn't imagine harming her in anyway. Maybe that was key-getting to know her. Well that solves my problem-just get to know every human in a 20 mile radius and the lust would be gone! I snickered a bit. Bella looked at me and frowned.

"What's so funny?"

"Sorry, it's not this"-I said, waving the journal-"I was just thinking about something else. And no, you're not scary. Edward just didn't know how…to be himself around you. He was always afraid of taking your life, so it made him unable to relax. He honestly only worried about you." She nodded.

"So what were you thinking about just now?" The girl was relentless!

"I was thinking that I couldn't believe I wanted to hurt you. Now that I know you, I couldn't imagine hurting you. I said to myself, 'if I can make friends with all the humans, it will solve my problems!'" She started laughing hysterically, throwing the remainder of the journals in the box next to us. I closed my eyes and basked in her happiness, because my own was so hard to come by. I was only happy when I was with Bella. I took the journal I was holding and put it with the rest of them. The box was full-a hundred years worth-and some of them were torn to shreds from Bella's little tantrum. I taped it shut. There was no point in reading any further, it wouldn't help. The journals were the last thing to pack, and Bella had done remarkably well. She had fawned a bit over the closet, just as I had. The smell of him was thick in there, and it made her sad. But I helped, just as _she_ had, and together we got through it. _We_ got through it. Bella and me.

Bella and Jasper.

The phrase…struck me. I had been a part of 'Alice and Jasper' for as far back as I cared to remember. But I was always the second in that relationship. Alice had the more useful power. Alice was more trustworthy. Alice was more outgoing. They loved Alice more. I was just…there. The one that nobody trusted, not really. But when I was with Bella, we were just…together. A team, per say. She helped me, and I helped her, and neither of us was the better. We both needed each other. I looked at her, still laughing, and stopped.

She had fallen back on the floor, and she was clutching her middle like she was holding herself together-but in a good way. And then, the only thing I could think of in that moment was _beautiful._ Bella was beautiful. And I felt something that I don't think I'd ever felt.

This tingling was building in the bottom of my stomach-a kind of fluttering-and I couldn't place the emotion. It was…good. And then it hit me. I _liked_ her. It wasn't love-not quite. But the tenor was the same. If it could be described as a color, it would be pink. Not quite as strong as red, but more than just the stark white of friendship. When I was coming to that conclusion, Bella had stopped laughing. She was sitting up, facing me, and looking puzzled.

"What is it?" she asked, and I couldn't tell her. No, it wouldn't be fair. I had no claim on her. "What are you feeling? I feel kind of…weird." Oops. I wasn't paying attention to what I was projecting.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just…thinking about how weird it was-these rooms being empty. I was debating on packing up the rest of the house as well." Not true, but good enough. And it was an idea, now that I think about it.

"I don't think I like that idea. I don't want to block out the rest of the family-they only did what they thought was best. Edward is family, Jasper, and you have to look out for your family. Even if it means leaving someone behind for the greater good." Grief. I saw her point, though, and reached out to comfort her.

"I didn't leave you behind," I whispered.

"Nope, you stayed to eat me!" she chuckled. It was sad but true. I looked down at the floor, refusing to meet her eyes. I felt her hand on mine, but I still refused. "Jasper, look at me."

"You're right, of course. I…"

"Stop. I was only kidding with you. I'm grateful every day that you stayed, even if your reasons weren't pure at first. But how do you feel about me now?" Of all the questions in all the world that she had to ask me, it had to be that one. Hadn't I just realized how I felt about her? And what could I say? _I think I like you Bella. No, not just friendly. _Yeah, because _that_ sounded gentlemanly and appropriate.

"Jasper? How do you feel about me now?" The tenor of the conversation had changed. I closed my eyes.

"Bella…I…think you're a great friend." Chicken! "And…I like you." There. I felt no fear from her, which I took as a good sign.

"Oh, Jasper, thank you! I think you're a great friend as well." She misunderstood. Fantastic. I was a complete fool. Why was I going to say anything? Why couldn't I leave it alone?

"I think you misunderstand. When I said I liked you, I meant…I _liked _you. Do you…understand?" I felt confusion and then awareness overcome her.

"Oh." She was staring at me, eyes wide, with that delicious blush on her face. I waited. "Jasper?"

"Yes, Bella?" I was waiting for the crash. For her to tell me I was crazy for even thinking of such a thing. But it never came.

"I think I like you too."

Alice's POV

Faster, faster, faster. I wasn't fast enough. Of course, running with a broken heart was hard to do. Edward was proving to be incredibly difficult to find. He knew how to get around my powers-by not making decisions ahead of time and jumping from one thing to the next. I'd seen him in South America first, and then in Europe near the Volturi. So I hopped a plane, but he wasn't there. I was halfway to China looking for him when I saw him in Africa. So that's where I was headed. I was close, I could tell. He was wearing down. I bet he was exhausted from running, and exhausted from grief. And he didn't know the half of it. Not yet. I wasn't quite sure how to approach the situation.

I had to stop him, that much was certain. But how much did I divulge? That she was happy and moving on? Did I tell him of Jasper's involvement? But he would be so mad…I could see no easy outcome. It all involved an angry Edward fighting with Jasper, and a teary-eyed Bella. And quite frankly, I couldn't see Jasper again. Not right now.

But what? There was no diplomatic way to approach this. I certainly didn't want him to walk in on the two of them-I hadn't looked, but I was certain it was going well. I didn't see Jasper looking for me, however. I was suddenly struck out of my musings by a vision.

_Edward was in an airport-Africa. He was looking at the board, showing departure times. I could see him zeroing in on a particular location-Seattle. Seattle, and then run to Forks. All he could see was Bella. Getting back to Bella. Apologizing to Bella. Loving Bella-forever. I watched him get on the plane._

I would be too late. I pulled my cell phone out, intent on calling Jasper and warning him, but it was dead. I had been on the run too long.

I had to move-now.

**Okay-I thought this would be the perfect time to introduce some feelings between the two of them-they've been dancing around it for a while now, and I think Edward's room was the perfect place for it-for Jasper to see Bella so carefree in that room in particular. Now, also note that it is like, not love, right now. Love grows, but at least now they know there's something there.**


	11. Home is Where the Heart is

**Hope you enjoy!**

Bella's POV

I woke up to something very cold poking me very hard in the side. "Get up." The cold thing said. _Nope._ I pulled the blanket tighter over my face and rolled over. "I said, get up." Poke, poke, poke. _Maybe if I roll the other way, it will go away._ Poke, poke, poke.

"Argh!" I exclaimed, sleepily opening my eyes. I uncovered my face and looked for the offending thing-Jasper. He was grinning at me, almost stupidly, and then proceeded to pull the covers the rest of the way off. As I slowly came to my senses, I realized I probably looked a mess. And Jasper was in my room.

"Jasper, what the hell?" I asked him, sitting up. His grin got bigger. That was never a good sign, especially if I was looking for a nice, relaxing morning. I had expected to feel some kind of pressure after our little conversation last week, but surprisingly I never did. I was just as relaxed with him as I always was, and it was nice. The best part was that I didn't have to feel embarrassed any time one of my 'naughty' little feelings slipped by, because I knew he felt the same way. And there was nothing to rush, no reason to freak out-we were just friends.

"Time for step six!" he exclaimed, throwing some clothes at me. Shorts? Did he forget we were in Forks?

"Step…what? Shorts? Jasper, you're going to have to elaborate a little bit here, or else I'm going back to bed." He snorted.

"Fat chance. As if I'd let you. I _said_, step six! We're going to go for a ride. A trip is more like it. And where we're going, it will be warm, hence the shorts." He continued rummaging through my drawers, including the top one-underwear. I blushed. "Stop it. It's just underwear, and it's not like you're wearing them right now." I blushed harder. He laughed.

"Where are we going?" My curiosity peaked.

"I was thinking…this whole town reeks of them. So, the best thing to do would be to leave-and I'm talking farther than Port Angeles." More rummaging-he had found my suitcase. Uh oh.

"Jasper? How far is far?" I'm not leaving the country, if that's what he's thinking. I think my passport expired…

"Texas. Houston, to be exact. I own a piece of land down there, and it's where I'm from. So I thought it would be fun to head down there for the weekend. I could show you where I used to live, and we can ride horses, and it'll be just us."

"Wait a second-horses? Jasper, have you met me? I'm not the most…agile…person in the world. And a horse is a pretty big thing for me to fall off of." He threw his head back and laughed unabashedly. I scowled in his direction, and snuggled back under the covers. If he thought for two seconds that I was getting on one of those…things, he had another thing coming.

"Yes, horses. And I won't make you ride your _own_ horse, you can ride with me! So no fear of falling off. And I'm pretty good. It'll be fun!" He peeled the covers back from me and pulled me to my feet. I had never seen him like this before-it was wonderful. He was carefree, and excited, and completely Jasper. I couldn't deny him his fun. I rolled my eyes, but started towards the bathroom.

"Give me a few minutes to clean up, and let me clear it with Charlie. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to tell him…" I mused.

"I already took care of it. I left him a note, from you of course, saying that you got a last minute opportunity to look at a college down south. You were flying out today, and will be back by Monday." He beamed.

"Alrighty then. Sounds good to me! Be right back," I said, marching into the bathroom. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and didn't even bother to dry my hair. I just let it fall freely, and hoped I didn't look like a drowned rat. I was kind of excited to go with him-I'd like to know more about where he came from. And the whole weekend away from Forks? It didn't get much better than that. As long as he kept to his word and didn't make me ride alone, I'd be good to go. I bounded back in to my room, and Jasper seemed pleased by my mood change. He was just looking at me, smiling.

Jasper's POV

When Bella came back in from her shower, I couldn't stop staring. She didn't dry her hair, but it was beautiful. She seemed so…carefree. I could feel the excitement rolling off of her, which was quite an improvement from my reception this morning. I haven't been to my home in Texas in a long while. In truth, I'd never even taken Alice there-it was just my own little place. It wasn't because I wanted to keep her out, but that's where I went when I needed to get away. She understood. But with Bella, I felt ready to share it with her. And I was undeniably excited to see her on a horse.

We drove to the airport in comfortable silence, as we both took in the green. I think Bella will like Texas-it's not green at all! The plan was to fly to a private airport, and then drive the rest of the way. I had to make sure I wasn't seen, because the sun was out most of the time and let's face it, glitter doesn't fit in around Texas. But once we got there, it would be easier-I told her it was secluded, and it was true. There would be no one around for miles. I had arranged to have a few horses there when we arrived-it made no sense for me to have my own.

Not surprisingly, she slept most of the way. It was only a few hours on the plane, but I think the excitement drove her to nap. When the pilot finally announced our arrival, I turned to Bella. I shook her gently, and she roused. "We're almost there, Bella. Time to wake up." She turned to me and smiled sleepily, shaking herself awake. From the airport, it would take about 20 minutes to get to my house. As long as I was driving, that is.

"Look over there, Bella," I pointed towards the horizon-my house was in view. She squinted, but I could feel her excitement level.

"Do you have plumbing?" she asked. _That_ was the first question she had for me?!

"Of course. The house isn't as old as me, silly. I like to keep it pretty up to date. You never know when a human will come to call." She looked at me and rose her eyebrows. "Alright-I see your point. But still-I prefer electricity and the likes." It was true-but I mostly had those things installed for the workers who came and cleaned every now and then. I had to keep up appearances, after all.

I lead her up to the wooden porch. She ran her hands over the fine wood, tracing her finger over a knot. It was more of a log cabin, if you wanted to go that far. Smooth wooden rails lined the porch, which was covered in worn planks. The inside was much of the same. It was comfortable to me.

"It's so…you. I mean, I can see you here, before you became a vampire. I like it." I smiled.

"Thank you. It's much like my home growing up, minus all the frills like electricity and plumbing. In fact, I can show you where I used to live. Come on," I said, grabbing her hand. It was warm here, and I could tell Bella was glad that I packed some shorts for her. We walked at her pace, and there was no rush. My old house wasn't still standing, but some of the pieces were still there, as well as the stone foundation. I stopped, remembering.

"Right here?" she pointed. I nodded, and she walked forward. She sat, gingerly, on the foundation and closed her eyes. I watched her hands rub circles on the worn stone. I didn't have to be a mind reader to know what she was seeing-my childhood. "I can see you, running around in your little cowboy hat and boots," she chuckled. "Tell me about it. Before." I knew what she meant.

"It was nice-simple. My brother and I used to climb that tree over there"-I pointed-"and hide from our mother. He was a year older than me, and joined the army first. He died, right before I joined. In fact, I joined because of him-I wanted to make him proud." I smiled sadly at the memory. It doesn't matter how long I've been alive-or dead, however you look at it-I would always miss my true family.

"What was his name?" Bella whispered.

"William. William Whitlock. I always used to laugh at him for having such a mouthful of a name, but I could never see him as anyone else." Bella laughed with me, and we headed back to my house.

"Well, Mr. Whitlock, what shall we do now?" she asked. I grinned wickedly, and stalked closer to her. She backed away, and I could feel her apprehension.

"Well, _Ms. Swan,_ I think it's time you learned to ride a horse." I watched her eyes widen and felt the fear flow from her. "But first, you'll have to change. You don't want to be riding a horse in those shorts. I've got something for you inside," I pointed her towards the bathroom. She pouted, but went inside.

"Jasper, I look absolutely ridiculous. The horse will laugh at me." She said, grimacing. I couldn't help but laugh at her wording, but she looked anything but ridiculous.

"Trust me, Bella, horses can't laugh. And if they could, it wouldn't be laughing at you. You look amazing." I picked her out a pair of jeans with some riding boots, a pink flannel shirt and a women's cowboy hat. She looked like she walked straight out of my dreams, if I had any, and into my house. It was luscious.

"Whatever. You're just saying that. But when the horse won't let me on because I look ridiculous, I'm blaming you. Hey-speaking of, how are _you_ going to ride a horse? Aren't animals supposed to be naturally afraid of you and all? What with the whole 'predator' thing?" she asked, crossing her arms suspiciously.

"You make an excellent point. But horses are different-smarter. And my little gift will help too-it works on animals. I used to make Emmett so mad when I'd calm a grizzly down before he pounced…" she chuckled, and took my hand. The horse I had picked out for us was just the right demeanor. And I didn't have any intentions of taking her too fast-nothing more than a trot. Today, at least.

I climbed in the saddle and reached for her. She just looked at me, shaking her head. "Don't you chicken out on me now, little lady. Come on up here-it will be fun. I promise." I grinned. I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't believe a word of it, but she took my hand regardless. I moved her up effortlessly to sit in front of me. "Now just hold on to this here," I pointed to the horn, "and I'll do the rest. I'll have one arm around your waist at all times, so I promise you won't fall off." She nodded, clutching the horn-her knuckles were already white, and we hadn't moved yet! I snaked my arm around her waist, and felt her relax a little.

"Not fast, Jasper," she choked.

"Not fast. I promise we'll take it slow." I pressed my heels lightly into the horses side, and we began to move. Slow was the exception of the day-I think the horse was getting bored. But I wanted Bella to enjoy herself, and after a few laps around the ring I could feel it. She had visibly relaxed her grip, and I could see the corner of her mouth turned up in a grin.

"Ready to go a bit faster? And what do you say we get out of this ring? We can ride the property line."

"Not too much faster, please, but I'd like to see more." Excellent. I moved the horse to the gate of the ring and pushed it open with my foot. Once free, I pushed the horse into a faster trot. Bella clenched up at first, but it didn't take her long to relax.

We had been riding free for about ten minutes when Bella leaned back. She put her head under my chin and pressed her body against my chest. She let out a little sigh of contentment. I wasn't prepared for the onslaught of emotions I felt. I still had my arm wrapped around her waist, but she was more or less flush with me now. The rhythmic moving of the horse, combined with the sent of her and her closeness to me very nearly sent me over the edge. And it had nothing to do with her blood. The only thing I could do was pull her tighter. With each step we took, I moved against her. She closed her eyes and pressed herself even closer. I don't think she quite understood what was happening, but it was the most _sensual_ thing I've ever seen in my life. And I had never been more turned on.


	12. Can't Stop

**What a wonderful response! Thank you all so much. **

**Sorry for the way I left the last chapter, but I thought it was pretty delcious. Hope this makes up for it!**

I was a lot of things: Southern, courteous, and vampire come to mind first. But right now I was one thing: a man.

Her body was tight against mine as we rode further away from the house. Her face was flushed-from the heat or from my evident arousal I wasn't sure. I had no hopes that she wouldn't notice, and quite frankly I didn't care. Being here, on _my_ land, away from everything that belongs in the past, made me more carefree than I'd been in a long time. And, in my newfound carefree state, there was one thing on my mind.

I stopped the horse. We were in the middle of a clearing with the dust swirling at the horses' feet and the sun beating down on us. Bella didn't move. I could feel her breath picking up, and her emotions were all over the board-joy, fear, lust…The lust was the worst. It magnified mine tenfold, which, at this moment was hard to imagine. Right now I wasn't Jasper, her friend, or Jasper, the southern gentleman-I was Jasper, wound up with lust and crazy for her.

Before she had time to register, I turned her around to where she was facing me, legs on each side of the horse-like she was still riding. "Bella, I'm getting down now. Put your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist." She complied without a word-_God, yes._ I jumped down, both my hands on her waist, and backed her to the nearest tree. I didn't take my eyes off her, and she didn't stop looking at me. I didn't ask, as I should have, and I didn't care. I looked her square in the eyes and captured her mouth with mine, not giving her a chance to protest. It was the most…delectable thing I've ever tasted. Better than any blood, human or otherwise. Her heart rate increased to a frantic pace, and she froze-but only for a moment. Within seconds she melted into me, weaving her fingers through my hair and yanking me closer. The only thing I could do was groan into her mouth and delve deeper, deeper…

I wanted nothing more-nothing! Than to take her right here in the dirt. In fact, I was confident that she would let me. But then the rational part of my mind, who had been sitting idly by, spoke up. I knew that Bella was inexperienced-Edward would never take her that far. And I wasn't going to ruin it by taking her in the dirt in the presence of a horse. And yet I didn't stop kissing her. Her lips were so soft, and her mouth was hot-it scorched my tongue. It was glorious. _Stop, Jasper._ I kept my teeth out of the way, for safety's sake, but I still didn't stop. I could feel her fingers kneading my scalp. I ran my hand up her back and locked it into her hair. _Whoa, Jasper! Easy boy._ She whimpered, and her desire increased exponentially. She whimpered, and I was a teenager again-I was afraid to know what would happen if she really touched me. I ground myself into her-I _had_ to. She whimpered again, and gasped. _STOP, JASPER! _Finally I listened to myself. With all the strength that I had, I pulled away. I was gasping for air-odd-as was she. She looked at me, eyes hooded and cheeks cherry red. Her lips were swollen, and her fingers were still woven into my hair. I would have sat her down, but knowing Bella, she would collapse.

"I apologize, Bella. I don't know what got into me. I just…couldn't help myself." _Way to go, Whitlock! She probably thinks you're some sex-crazed freak now._

"_I_ didn't mind…" she mumbled. Her innocence would be the death of me, mark my words.

"Be that as it may, it was poor timing on my part. I was just overcome…by you. Your presence, your scent, everything. Please, I swear I'm not normally like that." And again if I could blush I would. Why did she elicit these reactions from me?

"Its okay, Jasper, really. It was…nice…to feel like that again. And to feel…you…wanting it as bad as me. I never got that before." And I mentally kicked my brother for doing that to her. Every day I felt how much he desired her, and the fear that overwhelmed said desire. And then I grinned.

"Bella, if he knew what he was missing…you have no idea." Oh, Edward, you stupid fool.

"Yeah, well…that's beside the point. I don't really feel like riding anymore-can we go back?"

"Certainly. I'll call someone to come get him and we'll run. Is that alright?" She nodded. "Good. Hop on then, little lady!" She rolled her eyes but moved behind me. I scooped her around quickly and before I knew it we were back at the house. I sat her down on the porch and opened the door.

"I'm going to take a shower-I'm all dirty. Be right back!" she said, slamming the door. Dirty? She had _no_ idea. Now what? I'm not sure what to do next. It's apparent that I care for Bella, and that she cares for me, but…is it right? We've both been abandoned-is it just a rebound? I refused to think like that. She wasn't just _some girl._ She was Bella. Clearly I wanted her. I loved to spend time with her-I was a new person around her. She interrupted my musings as she sat across from me on the bed.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"Honestly? What to do now. I care about you Bella, I truly do. But we've both been so hurt. I just don't know what the right thing is here." Honesty is the best policy, after all. She looked at me, thinking. I could feel nothing strange from her, so I didn't worry.

"I care about you too, Jasper. You know that much. And you know what I think? It's not our fault that _they_ don't want us. We can't sit around and sulk forever, if it's not meant to be. I don't know about you, but _I'm_ getting older every day, and I'm not going to spend it pining for something that…I have no control over. The way I see it, we work on our own time table. Who cares what the _rules _are? Look at us! I'm tired of looking out for everyone else. I want to look at for me. And if that means…being with you…then so be it." She huffed a little at the end, and I felt nothing but determination emanating from her. She was something, alright.

"You're absolutely right. My whole life was Alice. I never did anything for me. When she left, I never thought I'd even think the word _love_ again. It's like I wouldn't ever be good enough for anyone else. But damnit, Bella, I could love you. I could. And I don't want to be afraid of that." I shocked myself with that one, but it was true. I _could_ love Bella-she was everything I needed. Hell-I might already.

"Me too. I don't want to feel like I've done something wrong by letting myself care for you. I want to do what feels good for once-what feels right. I don't want to be pushed away anymore. I want to make my own decisions-be my own person."

"Then it's settled. But you know what this means?" I grinned at her, feeling mischievous.

"No…."

"It means that you'll have to tell Charlie that you're hanging around me. I'll have to call Carlisle and Esme, as well. Alice isn't there, and Edward is gone as well, so our secret is safe. But I don't want to sneak around anymore. I don't want to wrangle you to Texas just to spend quality time with you." I hadn't even realized that's what I was doing until I said it. She sighed.

"You're absolutely right. But what do we tell them?" Good question. I thought for a moment.

"We'll tell them, at least Carlisle and Esme, that we're…seeing each other. If that's alright with you. No strings, just hanging out-but this way they know that at least _something's_ going on. Tell Charlie whatever you like." She scowled.

"Alright, fine. I'll tell him when we get back. Now, you can call Carlisle and Esme right now. Get it out of the way, you know." She smirked at me, feeling smug. I tossed a pillow at her, but reached for my cell phone. I dialed the familiar number and waited for him to answer.

"_Hello?"_

"Carlisle! It's Jasper. How are you?" Play it cool…

"_Jasper! How wonderful to hear from you. Things are…alright. We miss you a great deal. Is there any chance of a visit anytime soon? I know Alice said the circumstances were extreme, but Esme hopes…" _Of course she did-she was the quintessential mother hen.

"I miss you all as well. But a visit isn't possible-yet. But soon, I hope. Listen-Edward's not there, is he?" Better ask, just in case.

_"No. We haven't seen him since he left. Why do you ask?"_

"I have something to tell you, and it would be beneficial for him not to know. You can tell Esme, but Rosalie and Emmett need not find out. Okay?"

_"Absolutely. What is it?"_

"I don't know exactly what Alice told you, but I stayed in Forks. One afternoon, Bella showed up at the house, and I let her in. Since then, we've been talking quite a bit. Realize that we both were hurting after being left in such a manner-so at first we were merely comforting one another. But…its sense developed into something more. I care for her a great deal. I realize that this probably isn't the best way to have gone about things, but I can't change the way I feel. And if Edward doesn't want to be a part of her life, then I do." It was so rushed that I'm surprised Bella heard any of it.

_"I see. You're right-it's not the best thing that could have happened, but Edward made his own decision. He must deal with the repercussions. And…Bella will be good for you. What does Alice say about this?"_

_"_Alice left me, Carlisle."

"_Do you think she saw…" _And until then, I didn't. But maybe she saw this coming. Maybe she had a good reason for leaving. Maybe she knew this was going to make me happy.

"I can't know that. But I'm no longer tied to her, and Bella is no longer with Edward. And I won't make his mistakes."

_"I trust you, son. Please give her our love, and take care of her. I'll speak with you soon."_

I hung up and turned to Bella. "Carlisle sends his love. And his blessing." I grinned. She smiled, and I felt relief wash over her.

"Now that _that_ is over, why don't you get some rest? You've had _quite_ the day." She blushed at the memory, but climbed under the covers anyway.

Alice's POV

I hated these visions. If I could give my power away I would. I hated seeing them together. I hated seeing all the mistakes I made with him. I hated feeling bitter about it.

He never took _me_ there.


	13. Out in the Open

**Oh, wow, you guys rule! This story is my most reviewed story ever! I heart you guys! **

**Just to clarify-I promise Alice wont' ruin everything-but can you blame her for being a little bitter? She's alice, though, and she'll do the right thing.**

"Why am I doing this again?" Bella asked me as she hesitated on her front porch.

"Because. I told Carlisle, and it's only fair you let Charlie in on the secret. Then we can spend time together where we're _not_ hiding in the woods, or in Texas, or at my house." She huffed, but nodded her head. The rest of the weekend in Texas flew by-we spent it riding, talking, and Bella made smores. "_It's only fitting if we're sitting around the fire wearing cowboy boots. Now hush, or I'll make you eat one!_" Now we were back, and still standing in the rain. I looked at Bella and pointed to the door.

"I'm really not getting out of this, am I?" she asked, one hand on the handle. I just shook my head. I was going to wait outside, listening, and then we would see what happens. If Charlie approved, which we both agreed would be a modern miracle, then I would miraculously appear at her door to take her to dinner. If, on the other hand, he flew off the handle, I would be waiting in her room to calm her down. She grudgingly opened the door and went in. I listened as she and Charlie exchanged pleasantries-he asked about her trip, in which she lied very well-surprisingly.

_"Dad?" I heard her voice crack._

_"What is it, Bells?" he asked. _I could hear Bella rummaging around in the fridge-my best guess was she was hiding her face.

_"I'm sort of…seeing someone." _I could almost see her cringe. Silence. Charlie's pulse picked up, as did Bella's.

"_What do you mean? Who?" _

_"Well…that's the thing. See, When…Edward…left, I went by his house-I left a jacket on the porch one day, and wanted to see if it was still there. But when I got there, one of his brother's was still kind of hanging out." _Good girl.

"_And?"_ Poor Charlie-I couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"_And I sort of stayed and talked to him for a little bit. We've been talking on the phone a lot," _Lie, lie, lie, _"and he asked me out the other day. I said yes. And before you fly off the handle, he's really nice, and I like him." _All she needed was to stamp her foot and say "so there!" Silence.

"_Are you okay with that, Bella? I mean, don't you think it's a little strange dating your ex-boyfriends brother?" _Good question-let's here this.

"_No, not really. Jasper's a totally different person than Edward. We have a lot more in common, and he doesn't treat me so…protectively."_

_"Jasper? Is he older than you?" _A bit.

"_Only by a year. Nothing major. I think you'd like him, dad, really. He's smart-he's going to major in medicine when he starts school next semester. To be more like Carlisle." _I heard Charlie sigh and sink into one of the chairs in the kitchen. I could hear Bella starting the stove, and I took it as a good sign. If he looked angry, she'd be hiding.

"_Well, Bells, I've got to let you make your own decisions. And if you like this Jasper character, then so be it. I won't fight it. You're an adult, now, as much as I hate to see it, and I trust you."_ Wow.

"_Thanks, dad. That means a lot to me. Really. So…does fish sound alright for dinner?" _And we were home free. I'd give her a bit to finish cooking, and then I'd "stop by." I had to admit, I really was surprised with Charlie's reaction. I expected him to be angry at me for staying, and at my entire family for leaving. But I remembered that he didn't really know much of what happened, really, so he didn't see the whole picture. He didn't see how broken Bella was when Edward left. It's something she is very thankful for.

I walked up to the door, knocked twice, and waited. I heard Bella stumble first, knowing it was me and wanting to beat Charlie. She threw it open and grinned widely at me. I smiled back. "Can I come in?"

"Sure. Hey dad-uh, Jasper's here. He said he was in the neighborhood and wanted to know how my trip went." I winked at her, enjoying our secret game. Charlie's chair scraped and in a moment he was in front of me. He looked like any father should-stern and mean.

"Hello, Jasper. Bella tells me you asked her out on a date. Where do you plan on taking her?" She blushed in the background, turning away.

"Actually, I'd like to take her to dinner tonight, if that's alright with you. There's a new restaurant in Port Angeles that I've been dying to try, and a reservation opened up this evening." I couldn't very well say I was taking her back to my place, now could I?

"It's kind of short notice, but if Bella wants to go, that's fine with me. Just have her home at a reasonable hour, please." I knew the please was only tacked on for hospitality. What he was really saying was-"have my daughter back early or I'll shoot you dead." Bella grabbed her coat and was out the door in impressive time. Once to the car I could feel her relax.

"You did great. I have to say, Charlie really impressed me in there. How do you feel, now that we're out in the open?" I grinned at her, unable to keep my joy to myself. She was happy too, I could tell, and a little…worried?

"I feel great, actually. I couldn't believe he bought that! He really is losing his touch. But it feels…nice. Now that the most important people know, nothing else matters, right?"

"Then what are you worried about?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Oh-well, I'm not sure, really. I just have this feeling that it's not as good as it seems, you know? Like something bad is going to happen before it gets better. Maybe it's just past experience creeping up." I thought about it for a moment.

"I see. You certainly have a right to think that, but I think you're overreacting. I'm sure everything's fine." I sent her a nice calm vibe, and she accepted it gratefully. We pulled up to the house just before it got dark.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked as we walked through the front door. "It is your date, after all," she grinned wickedly.

"I thought we could order you some pizza, and just watch a movie. Just hang out. What with the weekend we just had, I thought it would be nice to relax. What do you think?"

"Sounds good! I'm feeling some Canadian bacon and pineapple-let's order it in a bit. And instead of a movie-we do that too much, you know?-why don't we play a game?" Game?

"What kind of game?" I asked cautiously. "Because I won't play anything called Mystery Date or Pretty Pretty Princess." She laughed out loud at my fear.

"Oh, Jasper, you're so out of touch! I haven't played those games since I was like four! I was thinking something a bit more…active." She really wasn't making me feel better. I raised my eyebrows as she walked over to the game closet. Not sleeping left us a lot of free time.

"Well, you have to remember I lived with Rosalie and Alice for a long time. And girls will be girls."

"Good point," she said, pulling something down from the middle shelf. She turned towards me, grinning, and holding the box forward. Twister?

"Are you serious?" I asked, as she opened it and began setting up.

"Oh, yes I am. It'll be fun. And don't be pulling any of your 'I'm a super fast vampire' moves on me today. Time to act human! I think we can call this step seven. Trying something new together counts, and since you got me on a horse, it's my turn!" She had me there.

"Fine. You spin first." I watched as she eagerly spun the wheel.

"Right foot red."

We played like that for a good half hour before Bella, trying to reach her right arm through her left and behind her left foot, collapsed on the ground. I sat down next to her while she laughed at out.

"And I didn't even have to pull any vampire moves on you," I chuckled, mussing her hair. As her breathing slowed, I pulled her face towards mine and placed just the lightest kiss on her lips.

"If you'll kiss me every time I lose, I can think of a whole slew of things that I'm bad at. But let's take a break for right now-I'm hungry." She bounded towards the phone. "Hey, Jasper? Did you know you have a message?" That's strange-I talked to Carlisle just the other day. I couldn't think of who else would be calling me. I got up, joined Bella in the kitchen, and pressed the play button.

"_Jasper! I know you don't want to hear from me, but this is important. He's coming back-soon. He can't help himself. I can't nail down a timeline yet, but I'd say within two weeks. I'm trying to catch up, but he's got a pretty good head start. He's going to lurk around town for a few days before he makes an appearance-he won't go home first. I can't see what happens when he finds her. I'm at a pay phone, so you can't call me back. I'm trying, I really am. Keep her safe, Jasper." _The line went dead.

She didn't have to say who 'he' was. Edward. I could hear Bella hyperventilating next to me.

"Bella, Bella! Calm down, love. Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise."

"How can you promise that? How do you know? You heard Alice-he's coming for me! And I don't know what to say to him!" That hurt.

"You mean, you don't know if you'll go back to him or not." It wasn't a question. All I could feel was her panic.

"What? No! No, Jasper. I just, I mean, what do I say to him? And he'll smell you, that's for sure. Your scent has to be all over me. What are we going to do?" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Nothing. Bella, we're not going to stop what we just got started because Edward thinks he can march back in here and scoop you away. Alice said he would lurk for a few days-if he sees you, happy, maybe he won't say anything to you. Maybe he'll just leave." I doubted it, knowing my brother, but it was worth a shot.

"So, you think we can fool him? I don't want him to know right now. Eventually, yes, when we know where we're headed. But I want to focus on us, and not worry about Edward. I say we try." She sniffed indignantly, trying to put up a strong front. But I could feel her terror.

"I think we can. He's coming to check on your happiness. So-be happy. And if that doesn't work…well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there." I hugged her close, running my hands through her hair. I felt something new coming from her-grief. "What's wrong, Bella?"

"That's why Alice left. She saw me coming." She sniffed, and I could feel fresh tears through my shirt. Bella was right-Alice sacrificed herself to make me happy. I loved her for it, and I knew I'd never know how to pay her back.


	14. Take Me Back

**Oh, what a wonderful response from everyone! Thank you so much!**

**I thought this chapter would be best from Edward's eyes.**

Edward's POV

Running. I was running faster than I would have thought possible, and it wasn't fast enough.

I thought the plane ride to Seattle was going to kill me. Not because of the scent of humans, but because of the slow pace. I'm not sure when I made up my mind to go back to Bella, really, but once I did all I could think about was getting to her. Not a day went by since I left that I wasn't wracked with the pain of being without her. I should have guessed it would have been a matter of time before it got too much.

Now that I was on my way back, I had time to think about what I was going to do. I left Bella so she could have a better life-a happy, normal human life. So I planned to watch her for a few days. If she is happy, like I had planned, I would let her go. It would be…unendurable for me to do so, but I brought it on myself. It would be fitting for her to do as I planned. She would never see me again, as I promised, and I would go away. But part of me hoped that she _wasn't_ happy. It was so selfish to even think such a thing! But…I couldn't deny the part of me that wanted to go crawling back to her. To apologize for leaving her, and lying to her, and not being good enough for her. I wanted her to be the Bella I knew-forgiving and perpetually loving. I wanted her to forgive me, and take me back. And then she could have whatever she wanted from me. I'd give her immortality. I'd give her everything, if she'd just have me.

I approached the city limits of Forks with a huge sense of apprehension. I made my way to Bella's house at a rather slow pace, my sudden anxiousness to see her gone. I was afraid-truly afraid. I couldn't deny my longing to see her, but in what state would I find her in? Would she be happy? Would it truly be as if I had never existed? Would she be with someone? Panic screamed through me at the thought of Bella and another. I ran through the possibilities in my head-Mike Newton for certain would make a play for her. Her friend from the reservation, Jacob, made no secret of his lust for her. And then there were the countless boys in school who had desired her on that first day. But what if she was miserable, like I was? What if she really loved me as much as she said she did, and was mourning me as I was her?

I stood outside her house, breathing in the faint scent of her. I could smell her through the open window-open for me? I climbed the tree and peered inside.

Bella was lying on her bed, reading a book. She turned the pages and smiled at the text before dog-earing the page and throwing it to the floor. She pulled the covers back and crawled underneath, burying her face in the pillow. I watched her sleep from the tree. I was most anxious to see her dreaming-to see if she still said my name. And at first she did. "Edward…no…" she mumbled. Of course she would dream of me leaving her. "Jasper…" she groaned, rolling over. Jasper? "Alice…you shouldn't have…" She was dreaming of all of us-we had all left her in the end. I felt so…guilty. I was sick with myself.

The next morning, Bella got up and got herself ready for school. She shared a few pleasantries with Charlie on her way out the door. I ran behind her the whole way.

I wasn't able to follow her through her classes, but I _did_ manage to watch her during lunch. She sat at her usual table, talking animatedly with Angela Weber. Angela said something, which caused Bella to shoot soda through her nose and laugh. She was beautiful when she laughed. It was unbearable, being so close to her without touching her. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Mike come up behind her and place his hands over her eyes. _"Guess who!"_ he said. I could hear Bella sigh.

_"Sit down, Mike. You're the last one left; of course I knew it was you!"_ He ruffled her hair and sat down beside her. Jealousy raged through me when he touched her. Could it be possible? Has he taken my place? He rolled his eyes, but turned towards Jessica, throwing an arm around her. I breathed a sigh of relief.

She spent that evening on a blanket in her back yard, talking on the phone. She was grinning and laughing the whole time. The hope I had of finding her sad without me was sinking lower and lower. She looked so…normal. And she was clearly happy, that much was certain. She had done what I asked. She had moved on.

Why was I so stupid? I think too much, that's the problem. I thought she'd be better off without me-I didn't think of how _I_ would be without _her._ And as I sat in this tree, staring down at my life, I knew it was over. I couldn't waltz back into her life-not now. I had promised her this much, and I would keep my promise. I didn't need to stay any longer to see this. I stared at her for another immeasurable moment, wanting to memorize the way she looked to me now-the last time I would see her. I couldn't allow myself to come back again, it would be too much.

I breathed her in and ran away. I stopped on the outskirts of town, allowing myself to think of what I had done. I would never be the same again. But it was time to go back to my family. If I couldn't have her, at least I could have them, and I was tired of being alone. I needed their never-ending love, and I needed to be…helped. I needed help. I remembered that I had some things left at the old house-my journals. I wanted them to remember her. It would only take a few minutes to get there. When I neared the house, I noticed something was off.

I inhaled-someone was here. I came in the back way, and when I got close enough, I recognized the scent. Jasper. What on _earth_ was Jasper doing here? He should be at home, with Alice and the rest of them. But this scent was fresh-he was right here. I moved close enough to hear him, but not close enough to give myself away.

_I hope she hurries. I had expected it to take longer-I was prepared to wait. But this is much better. The more time with her the better._ His thoughts weren't out of the ordinary-he was thinking of Alice. But I didn't smell her. Maybe she was on her way? But why are they both here? I listened some more. _I wonder if she'll be hungry when she gets here? I bet I could talk her into going out later. I'd like that. Now that this is over, we can finally relax._ Now that what is over? I was going to listen some more, see if I could figure out what he was thinking about, when I heard it.

The loud rumble of an old truck, beating its way up the drive. There was only one truck in town that sounded like that, and I can't for the life of me figure out why it would be coming here. Surely Alice wasn't with Bella? Of course not. She of all people would listen to me. She wouldn't…I heard the truck door open, and Jasper's excitement buried any thoughts he had. I breathed in, trying to get a read, and choked. Bella.

"Hey!" she said, and I could hear her pace increase as she walked towards the porch.

"It's great to see you. Wow, that took…a whole 5 minutes! You must have pushed that poor truck to its very limit." He chuckled. What the hell?!

"Yep. And look, it survived! But I couldn't wait-when you called me and told me he was leaving, I had to come right over. I was prepared for _days_ without you-this is much better. I'm a little bit starving-did I leave anything here? Maybe some leftover pizza? Unless you ate it, of course," she joked. I was trying very hard not to move in for a closer look. I didn't want to give myself away, not until I figured out what was going on.

"Your pizza is untouched in the fridge. You _know_ I have better taste than that!" I heard her gasp, and then break into hysterics.

"Only you…would joke…about that! And you're lucky…I love you…or that would make me very mad!" Okay. Two things about that sentence really bothered me. What is he joking about? Having good taste-as in tasting Bella? And…she loved him? I tuned into his thoughts. _She just said she loved me. And I don't think it was on purpose. But I know it's true. I can feel it._

"You love me?" he asked. I heard her pulse increase as she realized her folly.

"I…think I do. I'm a new person with you. I'm happy. Yes, Jasper, I think I do love you." Now I couldn't help myself. I rounded the corner and peered around. What I saw very nearly broke me to pieces. Jasper had scooped Bella up off her feet and was cradling her. She had wrapped her arms around his neck and was blushing furiously. I could see the…resolve in his eyes as, without taking a breath, he pressed his lips-hard-to Bella's. She immediately responded, turning her body to where she was straddling him, deepening the kiss. It was indecent.

And then I broke.

I flew out from my hiding place, body tensed and venom pooling in my mouth. I wasn't Edward anymore.

Jasper broke free from Bella, tensing immediately. I threw her, gently, behind him and crouched in front of her. His eyes scanned for the danger he sensed-my emotions probably. When he found me, he closed them. I saw him raise from his position and turn to Bella. "Go inside." He commanded. I watched her turn, listening to him, until she found me. She screeched to a halt. Her eyes widened, and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. And then she turned from me, gave a fleeting look to Jasper, and ran in the house. Jasper walked towards me, trying to gauge my mood.

"Edward, listen. We were going to tell you-really. Just not yet. When you left…" I cut him off.

I growled, and lunged.

**Ruh-ro!**


	15. I'm Sorry, So Sorry

**Your reviews make me smile! There are a couple reviewers who left me some awesome terminology that I wanted to share with everyone. **

**DazzlexMe-"Oh, crizzap!" I laughed my socks off at this.**

**Rocker-Chick-12345-"Oh my Cheez ITZ!" Comparing my story with delicious snacks is awesome.**

**And to the rest of you who leave me such nice words and happy phrases, you make my day super! **

I didn't _want_ to fight Edward, but I will. He stood across from me, poised to spring and growling, and I knew I wasn't going to have a choice. He should have just left, like I thought he was going to. Bella and I decided that we would just play it cool. I'd stay out of his way, so he couldn't hear me or smell me, but I'd be watching. I lingered around his trail, following him around. Of course he went to Bella's house first. He just watched her, like Alice said. He went to her school and watched as well. I was prepared to wait a couple more days for him to give up and leave, but his scent led to the edge of town. He must have seen how happy she was, and decided to leave. And then, no sooner does Bella profess her love to me, does he show up at the house. I wasn't paying attention to anyone but her, or surely I'd have sensed him. Bella was frightened-I could feel her from here-and she was peeking out the window. I tried to calm him down, to no avail. He growled, and lunged.

I prepared myself, crouching down-it was unnecessary. Out of nowhere, someone came at him from behind. He was so angry and focused on me that he didn't notice someone else arriving-nor did I. His lunge never reached me. I looked up. Alice was on Edward's back, trying to pull him backwards. Oh, Alice…

"Not now, Edward-not like this. You don't want to do this. Come with me for a while, and then we'll straighten this out." She cooed to him, trying to sooth his anger-it wasn't working. He snarled at her and tried to shake her off. I had to hand it to him-even in this state he was trying to be gentle with her. She crawled around to face him head on. "Edward, look at me. Bella is in there, and you are scaring her. I know you don't want to do that. You can't talk to them right now. You come with me and calm down. For her." I felt his emotions immediately shift from rage to angst. He looked towards the window, where Bella, wide eyed and flushed, was shaking. Her eyes had locked on Alice.

He shot a pained look at her, glared at me, but followed Alice. She turned to me, still in motion, and I knew she was doing her best to hide her pain. It just wasn't good enough. "Calm her down, Jasper, she's terrified. I'll come back when _he's_ of sound mind. And Jasper? Tell her I'm not mad. Tell her it's not her fault." She smiled grimly, and then they were gone. I knew, right then, that there wasn't another like Alice. She was so self-sacrificing. So loving. She would do anything for her family, even if it meant…well, watching her husband and best friend fall in love.

I slowly crept back into the house, not sure what to say to her. I knew she wouldn't go back to him, but how was she feeling now? She was sitting on the couch staring into space.

"What are you thinking of?" I asked as I sat down next to her.

"Alice. Edward had this coming-but Alice? She stepped out of _my_ way. How long has she known? What am I going to say to her? How can I look her in the eyes again?" She was pained. Who could blame her?

"Bella, Alice said something to me before she left. She wanted you to know that she's not mad, and it's not your fault." I reached for her, but pulled my hand back quickly. Did she want to be touched right now?

"Of course she would say that. But she must feel something towards me! Some anger, resentment-anything! She can't just…be okay with this! I'm not okay with this…" she whispered, and then began to cry. Immediately I took her in my arms and stroked her face.

"Bella, Bella…shhh….I know, I know…but…we'll straighten it out. She said she'd be back soon, once…Edward…calms down. And you can ask her yourself." She looked at me, eyes wide, and started shaking her head.

"I can't talk to her, Jasper! What if…she hates me? I know she wouldn't tell me, but I'd know. And I don't want her to hate me, I love her!" she was in hysterics now. I was tempted to calm her myself, but I knew she'd be angry at me.

"She doesn't hate you. I don't think Alice has the ability to hate. And remember what she told you so long ago?" she nodded. "And what was that?"

"She said…she'd always be honest with me."

"That's right. And she will. She means so much to you. You have to talk to her. And then we'll have to talk to Edward." She cringed.

"I know. I didn't want him to find out this way. Why couldn't I wait ten more minutes?! He's probably never going to forgive us." She said, looking up at me again.

"So be it. But I don't think so, really. He made his mistake by letting you go. He knows I won't be so stupid. I don't think he'll let it tear our family apart." That's how Edward was. He would be mad, of course, but he would forgive. I hope.

"I don't want to come between you and your family." She mumbled into her hair.

"Bella, as far as I'm concerned, you _are_ family. But let's not worry about that now. Alice will be here soon. We'll talk with her, and then Edward, and then go from there. One step at a time," I grinned. She rolled her eyes at my pathetic joke, but turned her body to mine and snuggled up to me. I purred into her hair. We sat like that for an immeasurable amount of time, until we heard a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" Alice's soprano voice chimed. Bella flew from my lap, suddenly feeling frantic.

"Of course, Alice," I said. She opened the door and slowly crept through.

"He's stable for now. But he's pretty upset, Jazz. He keeps thinking of ways to rip your arms off, but I won't let him." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Bella was hiding in the corner, trying to blend into the wall. "I want to talk to you in a minute, Jasper. But first…" she turned towards Bella, who's fear increased exponentially. Alice walked towards her with all her grace, paused, then wrapped her arms around Bella. Bella immediately broke into sobs, flinging her arms around Alice in return.

"I'm so…_sob_…sorry…_sob_…Alice! I didn't…._sob_…mean to! It…_sob_…just happened!" she sniffed. Alice was rubbing her back and petting her hair.

"Shh…I know. Bella, I know you didn't do it on purpose. I saw this, remember? I saw how happy you made him-how different he was with you. I saw how much he cared for you, and you him. I saw you in Texas. How could I deny you both of a happiness that wasn't for me? I'll have my happy ending, Bella, don't worry. I love you both. You're my best friend"-Bella snorted-"no, I mean it! You can't be held responsible for your feelings, if it was meant to be. Love is love, Bella. I'm not going to stand in it's way. Promise me something."

"Anything," Bella sniffed.

"Promise me you'll never hurt him."

"I won't. Ever. I promise, Alice. What…am I going to see you again?"

Alice thought for a moment. "Yes, of course. I _am_ still a Cullen, after all. When the time is right, I'll rejoin the family. And don't worry, you'll be there too." She pulled away. Bella looked into her eyes.

"I love him, Alice."

"I know. I knew before you did." She kissed her forehead. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a few words with Jasper and then we'll talk about bringing Edward over." Bella nodded, and sat back down on the couch. Alice walked towards me and out the door-I followed. She perched herself on a tree limb, and I climbed up next to her.

"I'm sorry for being so mean to you before," she started.

"Silly girl. Please don't apologize to me, I can't stand it. I should be apologizing to you. Alice, I'm so"-she pressed her fingers to my lips.

"I already told Bella this, and I meant it. Don't be sorry for what you can't control. I saw this coming. And trust me, I really did look for a way around it, but nothing worked. It only pushed us apart. At least this way we can still be friends."

"Why didn't you just tell me, instead of sending me away?" I was still hurt by this rejection.

"It was the only way to make you see. I knew you weren't going to hurt her, but I needed you to stay and think about it."

"What did I do to deserve you?" I chuckled, patting her on the head. She grinned at me, and jumped down.

"I wanted to do what was best for the family. And this is it. It'll all work out, someday, I know it. Make her happy, Jazz. Don't make his mistakes." We started walking back towards the house. Once we got there, I sat next to Bella, and Alice sat at our feet.

"Okay. You're going to have to explain everything to Edward-although I'd leave out the whole 'trying to eat Bella' thing-that won't help. And I think Bella should be the one to do it. He'll pay the most attention to you." She said, looking at Bella. She nodded, but I could feel her anxiety. "It's not going to be easy, and it's going to kill him. But he has to know the truth. Can you do it?"

"I think so. You guys will be close, right? I don't have to be alone?"

"Not at all. We'll just be upstairs. He'll talk to Jasper eventually, but it's going to have to come from you for him to believe it. He has this strange impression that Jasper kidnapped you and is using his powers to keep you here." She rolled her eyes. Bella laughed, because it was such a ludicrous idea and exactly like Edward. "He's not very patient-I'm going to go get him before he decides to come on his own." Alice stood up and walked out the door. Immediately I pulled Bella to me and kissed her forehead.

"Are you okay?" I murmured as I trailed kisses down her cheek.

"I think so. I just…don't know if I can face him, Jasper. I loved him." She sniffed. She had cried too many tears tonight-I never wanted to see her cry again.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. But you can do it. And then we can really be together, and everyone will know. Emmett will be pleased." I smiled, trying to cheer her up. It worked marginally, but she was still in a great state of grief. "Why don't we just…be together right now. Don't think about anything, and we'll just have this last moment as our secret selves." She didn't say anything, but moved closer to me. I took that as a yes.

**Whew! I hope you guys didn't want a fight there, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Jasper didn't want a fight. But we're almost done with some of the hard stuff, so I promise some Jasper/Bella (Jabella? Bellasper? thanks again, Rocker-chick, for those phases) action soon enough! And maybe a trip to see the family is coming...**


	16. I Can't Stand to Look at You

**This was tough for me to write. I wasn't sure which direction it was going until I wrote it, lol! **

Why did things have to be so complicated?

I was so happy here with Jasper, not thinking about the things that had transpired this afternoon. We were together. I loved him. He loved me. And Alice knew-that was a big one. How could I have doubted her for a moment? Of _course_ she knew. And I was comforted knowing that soon enough we would be family again. Now I only had to deal with Edward. While I was thinking all of this, Jasper managed to detangle us and stand up. I frowned.

"Where are you going?" I asked, mildly outraged. He reached town to touch my cheek and smile sadly.

"Edward's almost here-I can feel him already. It's best if I'm not in the room when he gets here. I'm going to wait upstairs-Alice will join me and we'll leave you two alone." He stared at me for an immeasurable moment and then he was gone. _Alright, Bella, don't panic. It's only Edward. _Ha! That was like saying it's only the apocalypse, everything would be fine. I turned towards the door and waited. Alice was first-she smiled at me and quickly flitted out of the room. And then-he was there.

"Hey." I mumbled pathetically. I didn't know how to start. And _seeing_ him…

"Hello, Bella. I apologize for my earlier behavior-I was taken aback." Formal. That was Edward's way of saying 'I'm pissed.'

"Of course you were. And I'm sorry you had to find out like that. And believe me, we _were_ going to tell you-but I wasn't quite ready yet." I tried to be nice, really. I tried not to let my anger show, which was quite a feat because I was very _very_ angry.

"When, Bella? When you two were married? When he's turned you into one of us? When you were _living_ with my family?" He was glaring at me, breathing heavily.

"When I was ready to tell you, Edward! Because, believe it or not, I wasn't sure where Jasper and I were headed! Surprisingly, I was afraid he was going to _leave_ me! Now, I wonder why I was so worried about _that._" Oops. I saw shock and then hurt cross over his face as he collapsed into a heap in front of the door. I'd hurt him before he'd even made it inside. "I'm sorry for saying that, Edward."

"No-it's true. All of it. But can you see it through my eyes, for just a moment? I had come back for you-to tell you that I loved you. And when I find you happy, like I planned, I knew I was too late. And then, I come back to _my_ house to get some things I'd left behind, and I find you wrapped around Jasper doing God knows what, professing your love to him! My brother! A vampire! And my leaving was for nothing." He was watching me with such a burning intensity it was almost uncomfortable.

"That's the thing, Edward. You came _back_ for me. Meaning you left me in the first place, without even giving me a choice in the matter. Did it ever occur to you that there was nothing more I wanted then you? Danger be damned? You were my everything, and you left me in the woods alone. You hurt me. And for nothing." I realized I was crying now-fantastic. Way to stand up for myself. Edward crawled to me-_crawled_-and wrapped his stone arms around my legs where I was sitting. He was heaving with dry sobs, and I did the only thing I could think of-I comforted him. I ran my hands through his hair and let him have his moment. I cried with him.

"I'm so sorry, Bella, so sorry. I didn't know…I didn't think. I only wanted what was best for you. I didn't _want_ to leave you! But I didn't want to damn you to this life. Your soul was worth more than that." He was staring up at me, gloriously beautiful and more tortured then I had ever seen.

"Did you stop and think that what you thought was best for me wasn't really? That I didn't want to live without you? That life without you was meaningless to me? You threw us away-threw me away. But I'm not sorry you did-not anymore." He gazed at me curiously, and we had come now to what he wanted to know the most.

"How did you find him?" he asked.

"I came here to see for myself, one last time. To make sure you were really gone. I made it as far as the porch when Jasper showed up. He stayed behind. We talked, and I came back. I kept coming back, and then I found out I couldn't stand to leave." It was funny, how it happened. I would leave the details, although it wouldn't be long before he found them out.

"What else?"

I sighed. "He and I…worked together to get over you and Alice. And while we did that, we grew feelings together. And I do love him, Edward, and I know you don't want to hear it but it's true. He treats me as an equal, not as some stupid human who can't take care of herself. He doesn't treat me like I'm going to break every time he touches me. He's honest with me." Edward closed his eyes and stood up.

"When you say…he touches you…do you mean…?" I blushed. Of course he would ask that.

"No. We haven't…done anything like that." I blushed harder, thinking about it.

"And he is what you want?"

"Yes. Without a doubt. I feel…free…when I'm with him."

"And what about later? Is he going to turn you? And what happens with the rest of the family? Do they know?" Now we were getting into the semantics of it.

"I'm not sure, but I hope so. I want that, to be with him forever. But we haven't talked about it. And the family does know-at least Carlisle and Esme. We told them first, and then Charlie. Alice knew already, of course."

"So I was the last one to find out."

"I told you I was sorry about that. But Edward, imagine being me, and having to tell you that I was in love with your brother." He cringed. I could only imagine how his heart was breaking-I knew mine was. And I knew Jasper was hearing every word upstairs.

"What will you do now?" He asked, moving away from me.

"I think…we might take a trip to see Carlisle and the family. I've missed them, and I know he has. What about you?" Would I ever see him again?

"I think I need to be alone for a while, to figure things out. And then…I need to go home. I don't know if I can stand to be around you both…so soon. But I don't want to lose you forever, Bella, even if it means you're my sister instead of my lover." I smiled. It was perfect. I could have Edward as a friend, after some time.

"I think that would be wonderful. I'm sorry I hurt you, Edward, but I'm happy now." And I was, more than anything.

"That's the most important thing to me now. As long as you're happy, I'll cope. I'll always love you, Bella, and I'll always be there if you change your mind. But I won't fight him. I can't blame him, wanting to be with you. The biggest regret of my life will always be letting you go." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't know what to say. "Bella?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I please hold you, just for a moment? One last time?" Being in Edward's arms again…I choked back the panic and nodded. He walked up to me, slowly, and wrapped his arms around me pulling me close. I could hear him breathing in my scent, and I did the same. His scent was so uniquely Edward, and it was still intoxicating. He traced his hand through my hair. "I'm sorry," I heard him whisper, and then he pulled away. He walked towards the door, but before he could leave Alice flitted down.

"I'll go with you," she said, coming to a stop next to Edward. He looked at her curiously, listening to what she was saying in her head. Whatever it was must have been convincing, because he nodded and pulled her into a hug. I saw him shoot a glance at the stairs, probably searching for Jasper, but Alice pulled him towards the door. "Not now." She quickly rebuffed. She smiled in my direction before pulling Edward out the door. I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding, and before it was complete Jasper was there. He pulled me close as I let the tears fall. He didn't say anything; just let me have my moment. I mourned the loss of Edward one last time in Jasper's arms. When I was done, I pulled back and looked at him.

"How do you feel?" I asked, curious to know how he took my conversation with Edward.

"You just said goodbye to your first love, and you're asking me how _I_ feel? You really are a selfless creature, you know. I'm fine. Alice assured me the whole time. And I'm glad she's going with him-they both need time together. We'll see them again, that much is certain. And someday we'll be able to coexist again." He smiled at me, kissing my forehead.

"I'm…better. I'm glad he took it so well. I didn't really know what to expect. But I don't want to lose him forever, so I'm glad I'll see him again."

"Were you serious about wanting to go to see the family?"

"Silly vampire, of course I was serious! I miss them-Esme especially. And I'm sure you'd like to see them again, am I right?" He nodded, moving his kisses to my hair. He was just as relieved as I was that this part was finally over.

"I'd love to see them. Are you ready to face Emmett?" he asked, smiling.

"Crap. He's going to have a blast with this, isn't he?" I said. I wasn't going to think how Rosalie was going to act-I wanted to keep the mood light.

"Oh, you know he is. Emmett can't resist, it's in his nature. I promise if it gets too much I'll sedate him." He laughed. I loved the sound of his laugh. It was so musical and light, and I could hear his relief.

"I'll hold you too that. Why don't we go up next weekend? That will give them time to prepare." He nodded and then swung me up into his arms.

"Good idea. And now, little lady, why don't you let me take you to dinner? You've had a long day, and I think we deserve some alone time." He was moving towards the door, and I guessed I didn't have a choice.

"Sure. I could go for some food. And some time with you. So much has happened; I still can't wrap my mind around it." I knew that tonight, when I was going to sleep, I would think about today, and the events would set in. And I would cross that bridge when I got there. Right now, it was me and Jasper, and that's all that mattered.

**I hope this lived up to your expectations. I couldn't find it in my heart to make Edward mean-I just tried to imagine how he felt.**


	17. The Bad Touch

**Let's say hello to the Cullens again!**

**Thank you all for such a great response! Over 300 reviews! Keep 'em coming!**

"Are you ready?" I called up the stairs. Bella was packing for the trip to see my family, and she was dragging her feet. I could feel her apprehension down here. I couldn't help but roll my eyes-only Bella would be worried about _that_. She rounded the corner of the stairs with a duffle bag in one hand and the other hand on the railing. She looked at me, wide eyed, and marched down the stairs-it was like she was walking the plank! "Why are you anxious?" I couldn't help but ask.

"What if they don't approve?" she mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Silly Bella, they already approve of you! We've already talked to Carlisle about it, remember? And we've done the responsible thing-Edward knows now."

"What about Emmett? And…Rosalie?" I took her by the hand and lead her the rest of the way down, pulling her to my chest.

"Have you _met_ Emmett? He's quite possibly the most easy-going person I know. He'll be completely fine with this. And don't worry about Rosalie. She's very difficult to please, even for the best of us. And you have what she wants, Bella-a human life. It's not really your actions that upset her, it's that. She'll be fine." Bella just scowled at me. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Let's go. I don't want to deny Esme another moment without you."

The car trip made Bella even more restless. She had her head pressed against the glass and was staring into space. Every now and then she'd let loose with a small, quiet sigh-I think she thought I wouldn't hear them. Her emotions were across the board-happy, sad, nervous and then back again. I knew better at this point then to try and calm her down, so I just let her have it out. By the time we pulled up to the house several hours later, she was in a near frenzy.

"Bella, calm down! You have nothing to worry about. They are going to be happy to see us. I can feel it from here!" She looked at me skeptically. "Come on-it's going to be fine. Do you trust me?" I knew I had her there. I couldn't find it in me to feel guilty about it, either.

She sighed again. "Of course I trust you, Jasper. Let's go." Poor thing was really trying to put on a brave front. It was sweet. I walked around to meet her, grabbing her hand in the process. Carlisle and Esme were waiting on the porch for us, smiling. I felt Bella lighten a little next to me.

"Jasper! Bella! Oh, I've missed you both!" Esme exclaimed, embracing us both at the same time with her gentle touch. "It has been much too long." She frowned slightly, but I could feel her joy. Carlisle greeted us next, more conventionally. He shook my hand first, and then reached out to touch Bella's cheek. She smiled at him, and blushed.

"How was your trip?" he asked.

"Good, thank you. Where are the others?" Before the words were out of my mouth, Emmett was flying out the door, a huge grin on his face.

"Jasper, you dog! How could you keep this from me? As soon as I'm done with her, I'm gonna need details…" He was talking to me, but his eyes were focused on Bella. She was staring at him, backing up slowly, but he didn't stop. It would have been frightening if it had been anyone but Emmett. She raised her hands in protest, but he scooped her up anyway, pulling her to his chest. "Bella! Anything broken?" he asked, looking her over. She flushed a deep scarlet, but smiled at him.

"No, Emmett. You'll be pleased to know I'm in perfect health." She was still struggling, so he finally put her down. He winked conspiratorially at her.

"Are you _sure_? He's not being _too_ rough with you, is he?" Deeper red. I growled at Emmett, trying to get him to back down. He looked at me, skeptical.

"Don't you growl at me. I'm going to have my fun whether you like it or not." He turned back to Bella, but Carlisle interceded.

"Enough, Emmett-they just got here. It's not polite to embarrass Bella like that, either." Emmett just rolled his eyes, but didn't press any further. I could see Rosalie at the door, scowling. I'm sure Bella could too. Thankfully it looked like she wasn't going to give Rose a second glance right now. She was glowing-happy to be back with us together. All that worry for nothing, like I said. "Why don't you both come inside? I'm sure you'd both like to freshen up." Bella nodded fervently. I felt stale after the car ride as well, so it was a welcome request.

Esme walked towards Bella and took her hand. "I'll show you your room." She said, pulling her inside. I laughed as I followed-Esme was the essential mother. We walked inside and up the stairs. I could hear Rosalie cursing quietly in her room. I expected that Carlisle and Esme had instructed her to be polite or stay out of the way, and she chose the latter. Esme pushed a door on the far left open and led us inside.

"Oh, Esme, it's lovely!" Bella exclaimed, looking around. "Did you decorate it yourself?" The room held a cacophony of things-books, CD's, journals-and the decorations were lovely. The only way to describe the theme was modern western. The colors were bright and open, and the patterns mimicked that of the south. I choked up a bit when I realized this room was for me _and_ Bella, and was designed as such. It was Esme's every intention of having both of us here to stay. I suddenly had a thought.

I spoke so low that only Esme would hear. "Esme-where is Alice's room? There's something I need to see." I was afraid she'd tell me no-after all, it wasn't my place to be in that room any more. But she smiled at me.

"Down the hall and to the right. She said you'd ask. I'll stay with Bella." While Bella was busy musing over the books, I took my leave. I headed down the hall, and came to a halt in front of her door. Taking a deep breath, I pushed it open. I could smell that I was the first to be in here after she left-did she ask them to stay out? Why would she let me in? And then I took a look around.

Alice always was a wonderful artist, but this was extreme. Hand-sketched pictures lined every surface in this room. All done in pencil. I started on one side and worked my way around. The first pictures were of me and her-at our wedding, when we met, just sitting with one another-and then they morphed. Suddenly it was only pictures of me. I was clearly sad, and alone in every one of the pictures. Then the scenes changed again. The last wall was of me and Bella-laughing together, holding hands, kissing-these must have been her visions! The pictures in the middle must have been what would have happened if I had taken another path. I looked forward, and stopped on the last one. It was of Bella and I, dancing. It was beautiful, and we were both so happy! I stared for quite a while before deciding to return to the other room. Alice must have known I'd be coming, and she left this as a last gift to me. She was telling me that it truly was okay. She showed how happy we had been together, but now it was someone else who made me happy. She truly was a wonderful creature.

"Where did you go?" Bella asked as I entered the room. I saw Esme steal out quickly, smiling at me as she went. The others were already outside-ready for a hunting trip I guessed, to make it easier to be around her. Funny how it didn't bother me anymore.

"I…went to Alice's room. To see for myself." I knew she would understand. She knew I needed to see a room that belonged only to her, and not to _us._ If Edward had a room here, she'd do the same. I'm sure they have one set aside for him, but that's for another time. She nodded at me, and motioned for me to sit beside her. "You've had quite a long day-are you ready to sleep?" I asked, knowing she was exhausted.

"I'm fine," she said, and then immediately yawned. I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Nice try. How about you go get dressed for bed, and I'll wait here for you?" She thought for a moment, but then proceeded to the bathroom. While she was changing, I changed as well. Even though I didn't sleep, it was nice to dress down and relax for a bit. I laid down on the bed and waited.

Bella came out wearing a pair of cotton sleep pants and a white tank top. Every day I was amazed at the fact that she never needed to do anything to look beautiful. This was one of those moments. She smiled at me as she climbed under the covers and snuggled close. She barely touched me trying to get comfortable. I was having none of that. I pulled her to me as I joined her under the blankets. Normally I wouldn't do that, since I don't want her to be cold, but not tonight. I had to be near her. We were alone, and we were together. I kissed her forehead and wrapped my arms around her. She smiled into my chest and moved her hand to my shoulder. She leaned up, tentatively, and kissed me softly. It was only a good night kiss. And if she had _only_ kissed me, I would have been okay.

She ran her hand from my shoulder to the side of my chest, and continued until she found my waist. It was innocent enough, really. She squeezed the point where my waist dipped to meet my hipbone, and I very nearly came undone. Such a simple, innocent gesture. I hummed a low growl and pulled her face to mine, kissing her hungrily. Her emotions spiked as she felt the sudden change in my mood, but I didn't bother to read into them. And then, as only Bella would, she squeezed again.

Never breaking contact with her lips, I moved to where I was above her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled herself closer to me. I closed my eyes and inhaled, taking in the scent of her. I remembered her need to breathe, so I started kissing down her jaw, to her neck and collarbone. I moved one hand down to her waist, feeling for the skin under her tank top. I ran my fingers across her stomach, feeling her goose bumps rise as I moved. I started to move my hand upward when I felt a shot of fear come from her. I pulled back, my eyes still clouded with lust, as I looked at her.

How could I? Of course she would be afraid, she's never done anything like this before! Only she could drive me so far out of control that I would forget this. I opened my mouth to apologize, but she raised her finger to stop me.

"Is your family gone?" she whispered, and I could hear the desire in her voice. I nodded. "Then I don't want you to stop. I only want you, Jasper," she said, moving her mouth up to mine again.

"I won't." And I captured her mouth again.

**Ta-da! And I promise it's not going to end there! I thought it would be nice to end one chapter with deliciousness and then pick right back up again!**


	18. I Feel You Everywhere

**sorry for the wicked little cliffie! But I thought it would be super nice to end with some tastiness and to begin with some more!**

**This is a bit of a fluffy lemonade chapter, just FYI. I hope it lives up to your expectations-I'm always super nevous about writing these things! I'm not very graphic, but still...**

As soon as I said those two words, all of Bella's walls came tumbling down. She was so used to being turned away that it was almost a natural reaction for her. And if she needed any more proof that I wasn't Edward, this was it. I was not going to turn her away, when I desired her so. And with the lust radiating from her, I wasn't sure that I could even if I wanted to.

She gasped wildly into my mouth and tried to pull me closer to her. If this had been any other girl, I would want to take this slow-this first time. But Bella was different-she didn't want to take it slow. She was so full of passion and energy all the time it was only natural for her to throw her abandon away with this act as well. I let my hand continue its path under her shirt, pulling it off in the process. She clutched my shirt, hands shaking as she tried to undo the buttons. Unable to help myself, I flung my shirt off, not giving her the chance. I needed to feel her skin against my skin-now. Quickly I reached behind her back, giving her bra a flick of my wrist and throwing it to the side. This Bella was not shy. She let me take her in, watching me with interest. I couldn't help but stare for a moment.

I ran my hands very carefully over the peak of her left breast, watching the skin pebble from my temperature and contact. She let out a little sound-almost a mew-at my touch. It was glorious, knowing that I was the one doing this to her. I mimicked the motion on the other side, and she mewed again. Her scent was weighed down with desire as it floated around the room, intoxicating me. And I knew that I had never been in more control of my bloodlust until this moment. I kissed my way down her neck, into the crook of her shoulder, and down further. I let my tongue run around her nipple, carefully flicking the center after two full circles. Bella's face was flushed and she was panting-a low growl slid through my teeth at this new noise. I continued to trail little kissed down her abdomen, stopping just above her waistband. Her smell…it was divine. I felt her hands grabbing fistfuls of my hair as she whispered one word-"more…"

I could wait no longer.

In one quick movement I removed both her pants and underwear. Again, I had to stop and look. I thought in all my years that I had seen beauty, but I was wrong. This woman beneath me-flushed, panting, and moving into my touch-this was beauty. Nothing again would ever compare. I moved back up to where we were face to face and began kissing her again as I ran my hands around her most private place. The warmth was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. And knowing she was this wet for me nearly drove me over the edge. Tenderly I moved one finger inside of her, again assaulted by the feeling, and began moving it in a rhythmic pace. She tensed up at first, but quickly melted into the feeling. Her desire was out of control now. I slid another finger in, preparing her for what was to come. "Oh!" she cried softly as I kissed the sides of her mouth. I was insane with need, and I had to have her now.

"Bella…I want you. I need you." I said into the crook of her neck. She didn't say anything, only nodding to my silent question. I slipped out of my jeans and boxers and positioned myself between her legs. I moved myself to her entrance and looked her straight in the eyes. "I want you to grab my hair and pull when I tell you to." I told her. I wanted her to have an outlet for the pain she would experience. She moved her mouth to my neck and began kissing me as I entered her. She wasn't feeling nervous at all. "Now, Bella!" I said as I pushed myself into her fully. I felt her small mouth grimace as she fisted my hair. She only let out a small cry of pain. I gave her a moment to adjust, and then I began moving within her. It was magnificent. She was warm, and tight, and her muscles responded to every move I made. After a moment she began moving with me, her hands still wrapped in my hair. I assaulted her neck and throat with my tongue as my hands ran the length of her torso and back again. I circled her nipples with my fingers as she ground into me, crying out. Every now and then she would moan my name. I pinched one of her nipples in between my fingers, finally sending her over the edge. She clenched around me, arching her back as she filled the room with the feeling of release. The sensation was too much, and I let myself go inside of her, crying out her name.

I collapsed onto the bed next to her as she rolled to cuddle with me.

"Holy crow, Jasper, wow," she muttered, trying to catch her breath. I laughed.

"Holy crow indeed, little lady. That was the most incredible thing I've ever experienced in my entire life-human or otherwise." I said as I circled my arm around her shoulders.

"You're just saying that," she replied, but I saw the smirk on her face.

"Absolutely not. It was magnificent. So tell me," I said jokingly, "did I live up to your standards?" She snorted and turned her head to look at me.

"I didn't even have standards until now. So you kind of set the bar pretty high," she chuckled.

"Don't go getting any ideas." I kissed her forehead. She got up and moved into the bathroom, returning a few moments later in another set of pajamas.

"If I wasn't tired before, I'm exhausted now," she said as she curled herself under the covers and closed her eyes.

"I'll let you get some sleep then. I'm going to hop in the shower and then wait for the others." She nodded, very nearly asleep. After my shower, I went and sat in the living room, flicking through the channels until the others finally came home. Of course Emmett would be first. He walked in, looked at me, sniffed the air and grinned.

"Details. Now." He said, pushing me aside on the couch. I rolled my eyes.

"No, Emmett. I don't think Bella would like me disrespecting her privacy like that." Like _that_ would work. He snorted.

"Either you tell me, or I'll ask her myself in the morning." Of course he would.

"I'll tell you what. When we get home, I'll call you first thing. But I'm not going to tell you anything here. And please don't embarrass her; you know how upset she can get."

"Fine. But if I don't hear from you, I'll call." He marched upstairs following Rosalie, who didn't even glance in my direction. Carlisle and Esme came in a few seconds later and joined me on the couch.

"Did you and Bella enjoy your alone time?" Esme asked, grinning at me.

"Yes, thank you. Bella really needed this little vacation after what happened last week. She took her conversations with Alice and Edward very seriously."

"I was meaning to ask you about that," Carlisle said as he turned towards me. "How did it go? We knew Alice was keeping something from us, but we could have never imagined it was of this magnitude."

"I didn't know either. But all things considered it went very well. She was open and honest with both of us, and we were with her. We'll be friends again someday. Bella loves her, and she doesn't blame Bella for what happened." I smiled, thinking about Alice's kind nature.

"That's good to hear. And Edward?"

"Edward…was as expected. He was very upset, and hasn't spoken with me yet-Alice thought it would be better to wait. Bella told him everything. He was not happy, but he accepted it coming from her. He'll always love her, that much is certain. But we'll see him again. He and Alice are off together somewhere, helping each other cope." Esme smiled sadly, and she was feeling sad. I assumed she was missing two of her children.

"He'll be okay one day. It was a hard blow for him to take." I nodded.

"Jasper?" Esme said, looking at me with worry. I looked back at her questioningly. "Are you going to change Bella? If that's what she wants?" Ahh-she was worried I would leave her as well, and she didn't want to lose her human daughter.

"If that's what she wants. Which is something I wanted to talk to you about, Carlisle. I'd like to do it here, with you all with us. I don't want Bella waking up alone. I haven't spoken with her about it yet, but I plan to very soon. Now that we're past all of the other issues, I think it's something I'm comfortable bringing up."

"Of course, you're more than welcome to stay here. Bella will need all the help she can get afterwards. She's like a daughter to me. When are you planning on asking her?" Carlisle said.

"Tomorrow, I think. It's as good a time as any."


	19. Change is Coming

**Disclaimer: not mine!**

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I hope I clarified something a few of you wondered about in this chapter, about Jasper and his bloodlust. **

**CHALLENGE! So I want to start another story, and I want to know what kind of things you guys want to see. Shoot some ideas at me, and I just might use them! Play up your fantasies, have fun with it. I'll write sad, I'll write happy, whatever it takes, but I'm itching here!**

I watched Bella wake up. She rolled to the side, reaching for me, a small smirk playing on her face. She yawned, and then opened her eyes.

"Mornin' Sunshine," I said to her, tracing my fingers down her cheek. I watched the familiar blush creep up her cheeks while she smiled again. "Did you sleep well?"

She snorted. "Oh yes. In fact, I don't think I've slept like _that_, well, ever actually. I could definitely get used to it." She sat up, raking her fingers through her hair and stretching. "And how about you?" she joked.

"Not a wink. I fear I may have never-ending insomnia." She turned on the bed and crossed her legs to face me.

"So what's the plan for today? Apparently I'm required to play a round of _Halo_ with Emmett, but other than that, I'm free." She rolled her eyes at my brother's immaturity. I was going to ask her today, Emmett be damned.

"I was thinking…maybe we could just hang out up here for a little while? I could bring you breakfast. I think Esme made pancakes, bless her. And we could just…talk." Smooth, Jasper, real smooth. She eyed me speculatively, and then shrugged.

"That's fine with me. The longer I'm in my pajamas the better! Bring on the pancakes, and send Esme my love. You know, I'd like to spend some time with them today as well."

"Absolutely. Perhaps we can all get together and watch some movies this evening, and you can order pizza. I know it's a favorite pastime of ours, and I think they'd like it as well. And you know Emmett's movie rule-nothing lovey-dovey and nothing with Mel Gibson in it. He thinks he's a lunatic."

"Deal. I was thinking more along the lines of _Interview with the Vampire_ anyway. Irony is always good, right?" I laughed at her reasoning, walking out the door and downstairs to retrieve her breakfast. She really was a unique individual. While she slept last night, I thought about our first time. For one, I couldn't believe the restraint I showed. It's like I'm not the same person anymore. I was so completely focused on her that nothing else entered my mind-not even the thought of her blood. And that's saying something, considering she did lose a bit last night. It just…doesn't matter to me anymore. I shy away from anything that could ever bring her harm. She's just Bella to me, not Bella the Deliciously Smelling Human. Wow, I really was starting to sound like her. Esme was in the kitchen, finishing up the pancakes. She grinned at me as soon as I walked through the door.

"Did Bella sleep well? I hope she likes what I made her…it's been so long since I've cooked for her!" Esme was fretting, just like the mother she was. All I could do was smile at her. She noticed. "I don't think I've _ever _seen you smile this much, Jasper," she said, winking.

"Yeah…she just brings that out in me. And to answer your question, she slept _very_ well." I couldn't help but sound a bit smug. A part of me-a very, very small part-wished that Alice had seen that happening and told Edward. I am still a man, after all. "She sounded very excited about the pancakes. I believe her exact wording was 'bring on the pancakes, and she loves you.'" Esme beamed at this, thrusting a plate at me and turning to clean up.

"I'm glad. I love her too, Jasper. Tell her that." I nodded as I walked away.

"Food's on!" I shouted as I entered the room. She didn't move from where she was when I left her. "Esme said she loves you too." I handed her the plate and sat on the corner of the bed as she ate. I would wait until she was finished. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous about this-isn't this what she always wanted? _What she always wanted with _Edward, my brain exclaimed. Would she want this with me as well? I know she told Edward that, but was she truthful? Was she just saying it to prove a point to him? I didn't notice she was done and staring at me.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, pushing the plate out of the way and crawling up to me. Here goes nothing…

"Bella, I wanted to talk to you about something. About…becoming one of us. I know you used to want that, with Edward, and I wanted to know if you still did." I looked away. I didn't want to bring up the fact that I heard her while she was talking to Edward. She looked at me curiously, tracing the pattern of one of the scars on my arm.

"Jasper, do you love me?" she asked, continuing to touch my scars.

"Of course I love you. More than anything." I was sure of that every day. She knew that-where was she headed with this? I could feel nothing but calm coming from her.

"And you know I love you. I don't want to grow old with you, while you stay so young. It wouldn't feel right. And I don't want to die-I mean, I know it's what human's do, but I don't want that. Not while I'm with you. I can't stand the thought of being without you, even if I'm none the wiser. Nothing appeals to me more than spending the rest of forever with you. If it means that I have to endure a bit of pain, then so be it." She had clearly had plenty of time to think about it.

"A bit of pain? I need you to realize that it's much worse than that. It's quite a lot of pain, in fact. Can you deal with that? It's the worst thing you'll ever feel." She was still watching me, feeling calm.

"If it means forever with you? I'd burn a hundred days if at the end you were my eternity." I could feel her love now-she was trying to play a cool front, but I could feel the intensity.

"Well, you won't burn a hundred days, it will be more like 3, but it's excruciating. We'll do what we can to help you through it, of course, but…" she raised her hand to stop me.

"We? What do you mean?" She couldn't think I'd do it alone…

"I mean myself and my family. If that's alright, that is. I thought…it would be best with Carlisle here to help me. And I know the rest of the family will want to be there when you wake up." I raised my eyebrows at her speculatively.

"Okay then. I'd like that. The more, the merrier!" she chuckled, making light of the situation. Her emotions let out a bit of nervousness. "When?" she asked, quieter.

"That will be up to you. Whenever you're ready, we'll lay the groundwork and get things started. You just say the word."

"Groundwork?" she asked. I forgot she didn't know the details.

"Well, we'd have to…fabricate your death, to put it bluntly. You can't merely disappear, because then people will be looking for you. But if we were to make it look like you died, then…that wouldn't be an issue. And your family would have some closure as well." She nodded solemnly, tearing up.

"I hate that. I'll miss them so much…but it's what I want. When we go home, I'll make my amends. Subtly, I promise…but I want to give Charlie something to remember me by-and Renee too. And then we can do it. We leave tomorrow, right?" I watched a few tears trickle down her face-I reached out to brush them off.

"Yes, we go home tomorrow. You can have tomorrow night with Charlie if you like, and do what you need to do. When you leave the next morning, we can…take care of things." She furrowed her brow at my choice of words.

"How? Are you going to do it, I mean?"

"A car accident seems best. A fire would destroy any chance of recovering a body. It's simple. No need for an investigation." She nodded, and moved closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tight. "Are you sure this is what you want? Can you say goodbye to them forever?"

She sniffed. "Yes. I can watch them from a distance, right? Just every now and then when I'm less…newborn?"

"Possibly. You have to be careful not to get too close-nobody can see you afterwards." She frowned, but nodded again. "So it's settled then? Next week?"

"I think so. I don't want to put it off longer than I have to, it will only make it harder. Next week." I kissed the top of her head. My brave little girl, walking headfirst into the fire for me.

"Let's go tell the others then, shall we? I'm sure Esme hasn't met her hug quota for the morning yet, and Emmett is itching to play _Halo_. Let's have the rest of today to just hang out with everyone, okay? No more sad thoughts." She smiled as she leaned up to kiss me.

"I agree," she replied, sighing. "Emmett always beats me; I don't know why he bothers. You'd think he'd want a challenge or something. Instead he gets joy out of watching me fail."

"That's Emmett for you. But don't be too hard on him-you're his only youngest sister. Everyone else is older than him, so he looks forward to this." She laughed, jumping off the bed and heading to the door.

**I hope this doesn't seem like too soon. If I were Bella, I'd want it done sooner rather than later, because I'd be afraid I'd hurt more for my lost family. I'd want a 'clean break.' And she's sure about Jasper. **


	20. So Long and Goodnight

**Disclaimer:doesn't belong to me!**

**Thank you all for your great reviews! I think I'll be able to break 400 soon! yay!!! And thanks for all your wonderful ideas for my next story-keep them coming! There are a couple that I might make into tasty little one-shots for you guys, but I want more!**

**I started this off with Bella's POV, but you'll get to finish out with Jasper.**

I don't want to do this.

I have no idea what I'm going to say to any of them. How do you tell someone goodbye without actually saying it? And to know that I'll never see them again-at least up close-that was brutal. I'm not a very good liar; surely they'll see right through me. But I had to do it-it's what I want. I want Jasper forever and this is the price I pay.

Jasper drove me to my house that night after we got back from his family's. We spent the rest of the weekend just being together, and laughing, and enjoying each others company. It was nice. I look forward to having them in my life. At least I could have them. My plan was to pack some things first-not too much, just enough that Charlie wouldn't notice-and hand them to Jasper, who would be at my window. I would talk to Charlie for a bit-make him dinner one last time. And then I was going out to pick up some juice. At least, that's the story. I will have a horrible car crash, and my truck will be engulfed by flames. And poor Charlie will get the call. And he'll call Renee, and she'll be devastated. What will she do without me?! I must have been hyperventilating, because Jasper placed a cool hand on my shoulder.

"Calm down, Bella, or you'll give yourself away. I know this is hard. But you can do it. I'll be right outside, waiting for you. I love you." He said, pulling me into a quick embrace before stealing out the passenger side door. I took a deep breath and followed.

"Hey, Bells! How was your little trip?" Charlie chimed as I walked through the door. I did my best to give him a smile, although I'm sure it was more of a grimace.

"Great, dad. The Cullen's send their love. I'm going to go upstairs and change real quick, and then I'll be down to make dinner." He nodded. I marched a funeral march up the stairs to my room, where Jasper was perched on my bed waiting. I surveyed my room, trying to figure out what to take with me to my new life. Some books, of course-even though I've read most of them many times, I couldn't bear to part with them all. I grabbed a few outfits from my closet, and a few pairs of shoes. I left my CD's, knowing that anything I wanted I could find with Jasper. I opened my closet door again, and reached towards the bottom. I grabbed a stuffed animal-a rabbit, to be exact-that Charlie had given me when I was a baby before mom left with me. It had always stayed here. I hugged it to my chest, but before I shoved it in my bag I stopped. I would leave this for him! I wanted _something_ to give him that proved I loved him, and what better? I propped it on my pillow in tribute. I threw the bag at Jasper, who jumped out the window. I turned towards my computer-I would leave Renee and email. Typing quickly, I told her about my day, and about Jasper and my trip. At the end, I told her to be careful, and that I loved her. This was all I could allow myself. Changing clothes quickly I went back downstairs and rummaged through the fridge.

I made something quick and generic-spaghetti and garlic bread. I wasn't going to eat, anyway. Charlie seemed pleased enough, and we bantered back and forth while he ate. Eventually, my mouth got the better of me, and I started blubbering.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you," I blurted, immediately blushing. I hoped I had better control over _that_ part of my brain in my next life. Charlie looked at me, taken aback, but grinning.

"Glad to have you here, kiddo. What would I eat otherwise?" he chuckled. He wasn't very comfortable with emotions either, so it was normal for him to make light of the situation. I smiled back. Before I knew it, he was done and I was cleaning the table. Time was accelerated here. I always seemed to be out of time. I walked towards the fridge, pretending to look for juice, which I knew we didn't have.

"Hey, dad? Do you need anything from the store? We're out of juice, and I'm going to want some for breakfast. I'll just run up the street real quick." And never come back. I was never coming back…I watched Charlie think for a moment, and then shake his head.

"No, I think I'm good. I'm going to go watch the game-see you when you get back." He turned his back towards me as I headed towards the door. I paused while I put my jacket on. Now or never, Bella…

"Dad? Love you." I heard him stop.

"Love you too, Bella. See you soon." I was crying as I walked outside. I could see Jasper was already waiting in the truck for me, in the drivers seat. He must have known I'd be in no condition to drive. I climbed in next to him and he immediately wrapped his arm around me as we drove away.

"You did great, Bella. Charlie knows that you love him-that's the most important thing." He turned and kissed me quickly, wiping my tears away.

"I'm going…to hurt…him…so much!" I sobbed into his chest.

"I know." He didn't say anything else. There was no reason to. He knew this was what I wanted, and I did what I had to do. We pulled over and I got out. "Bella, I'm going to wreck the hell out of this truck now, so it's best if you stay away." He looked at me fleetingly and then sped away. I did as he said, staying back, but watching all the while. Jasper sped my truck up as fast as it would go, rounded a corner, and wrapped it around a tree. If I didn't know he was unbreakable, it would have terrified me. From a distance, I saw him get out, mess with something underneath, and then throw a match. Next thing I knew he was by my side, swinging me up in his arms.

"Ready, sugar?" he asked me, already running. Now, we were going back to his house where Carlisle and Esme would meet us to take me back to their place. Jasper was going to stay behind. Since everyone knew we were dating, surely Charlie would want him to know what happened to me. So he would hear the news, be devastated, and have to leave town because it reminded him too much of me. Then he would join me. I didn't think it would take too long-a couple of days at the most. I didn't mind, as long as I had his family with me. While we were running, a thought idly if Alice had seen this, and if she told Edward. We got to his house in record time, of course. Carlisle and Esme were waiting on the porch. Esme saw my face and immediately rushed to embrace me.

"I'm so sorry, darling." She crooned as she stroked my hair. Carlisle's face was somber as he asked Jasper if everything went according to plan. Jasper only nodded. "Why don't we get you home?" she said, gently pulling me towards their car. I knew I needed to hurry, nobody could see me, but I couldn't seem to pull myself away from this place. Jasper hurried to my side and placed his hands on my face.

"I love you, Bella. I'll see you soon." Was all he said. He kissed me gently on the lips.

"I love you too, Jasper," I managed to choke out as I got into Carlisle's car. I watched his face the whole time we were driving away, until I couldn't see him anymore. Then I really lost it.

Jasper's POV

I knew she was holding back, trying to save me from feeling her anguish. But as soon as she rounded the corner, I felt her break down. Poor Bella. I knew this was what she wanted, but I still hated seeing her in pain. I decided to go back to the scene of the accident and listen in.

By the time I got there, the fire department was already there putting the fire out. The truck was nothing but a twisted bit of burnt metal-good. I watched as Charlie's cruiser pulled up-I had hoped he wouldn't get the call to the scene. They still didn't know it was Bella's truck.

_"What do we have here?"_ Charlie asked one of the fire fighters.

_"Looks like some kind of pick-up. Wrapped itself around a tree and then caught fire. There's no way a body would survive that-we'll just have to go by the license plate."_ The man held something up-a twisted metal license plate. He handed it to Charlie, who turned it over in his hands. I braced myself as I felt realization dawn through his emotions.

_"This…this is Bella's plate number. A pick-up…oh, God."_ I watched as the blood drained from Charlie's face and he sank to the ground. _"She was just going to the store. Not Bella! It can't be Bella…"_ He was sobbing now, clutching the license plate to his chest. I couldn't take anymore-I had to get out. I ran back to the house and waited for the call.

It finally came about 3 in the morning. It wasn't Charlie on the phone, but I didn't expect him to be in any condition to talk. It was Billy Black. "Jasper Hale? This is Billy Black-a friend of Charlie's. I'm sorry to call you so early in the morning"-he didn't sound sorry at all. "but something's happened. To Bella. Charlie thought you'd want to know…she was on her way to the store this evening and was in a car accident. She…didn't make it. He knew you were close. I'm sorry." He didn't wait for a response, instead hanging up on me. Billy was a Quileute-he must have a suspicion of what I am. It must have taken a lot to call me here-I'm sure he did it just for Charlie. And even though I knew Bella was safe with my family, it still burned a little hole in me. Just thinking about her dead was pain enough. I would wait until morning to leave. I wanted to stop by Charlie's and offer my deepest condolences before I left. She'd be safe with me now.


	21. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry to get you super excited, thinking I updated twice in one day. But I _did_ do something fun.**

**I put up a new story called "One Final Taste" and it takes place as an alternate to this story. Starting in Chapter two, if Jasper hadn't stopped. It's been swirling around in my head for a while now, just to take it the other way because I like naughty Jasper. So check it out if you want, and if I get a good response I'll write a little bit more. And if I get a super fantastic, amazing, unbelievable response, I'll make it my next project.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**KC**


	22. I'll Miss You Everyday

**Disclaimer: doesn't belong to me.**

**Holy cow guys! I got a huge response for my little storyette "One Final Taste" Originally I put it up for fun, and I said I would make it my next project if I got a big enough response. And...I DID! I was overwhelmed, really, at how you guys responded. So, as promised, it will be my next project! I'll probably do some tinkering to what I put up and start it from the very beginning. And some of you expressed concern as to whether or not that will be a J/B story...you'll just have to wait and see! ;) All I'll say is I really do love Jasper...**

I stood outside of Charlie's house holding a plate of cookies. I felt odd and awkward. Here I was, vampire for over a hundred years, standing outside of my 'dead' girlfriend's house carrying cookies. It was Bella's idea, though, not mine. I called her earlier, letting her know I got the phone call about her accident. She was upset, but not uncontrollably so. I asked her if I should bring anything to him, because it was customary, and she said that he liked Snickerdoodle cookies. I briefly thought about making them myself, but since I don't cook often (ha, ha) I thought better of it. His driveway was full of cars. I was glad to see he was being taken care of.

I knocked, and only had to wait a moment. Unsurprisingly Billy Black opened the door. What appeared to be his son was standing next to him, red-eyed. "I'd like to pay my respects," I said somberly. He didn't look happy, but he let me in. Charlie was seated on the couch, with two women on either side of him. They were unfamiliar to me. I approached him slowly, setting the cookies on the table as I passed. He barely looked up.

"Charlie, I'm so…sorry. I can't express how terrible this is, and I'll never begin to understand the pain you're in. I'm leaving today. I can't stand to be here any longer. I think I'll go and stay with my family for a while. I just wanted to see you before I left." I patted him quickly on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Jasper. I know you cared for her, too. Thanks for stopping by." Again, he barely glanced in my direction. His eyes were rimmed red and the floor was littered with tissues. His emotions were the deepest grief I've ever experienced, and if I didn't go soon I would have to crawl out of here. I was going to say something else, but I choked on my words. I moved, quicker than I should have this time, out the door and to my car.

I drove straight through, making it to Carlisle's in record time. Bella must have heard my car, because she was waiting for me on the front porch. I saw Emmett open the curtain and then shut it. I walked to her and pulled her up into my arms. She immediately started to cry.

"He wasn't alone, Bella. He wasn't alone." They were the only words I could think of that would possibly sooth her. It worked, marginally.

"How was he?" she asked between sobs.

"As good as can be expected. He was…deeply grieved, but he had a lot of support. They'll be holding a funeral in 2 days-I told him I would be there. I think that Carlisle and Esme should go as well, if that's alright with you."

"I think that's a good idea." She sniffed. She pulled away from me, so I thought it was safe to head inside. As suspected, the rest of the family was waiting-even Rosalie.

"How was Charlie?" Esme asked, pulling Bella to her. I told them the same thing I told Bella, and then my suggestion about the funeral.

"Of course," was Carlisle's only response. I wanted to be alone with Bella, now that the family was taken care of.

"Bella?" I asked. She turned to look at me questioningly. "Would you like to go upstairs for a while? I'd like to talk to you." She nodded and we headed up the stairs. I wanted to discuss the semantics of her change. I wondered about the timing, but if I knew Bella, she would want to know what was coming. She sat down on the bed and crawled into the center. I sat across from her.

"Do you feel up to discussing your…transformation? If not, we can just relax together. But I thought you'd want to know what was going to happen." She thought for a moment.

"I think I'm up to it. It won't do me any good to sit around and mope. I knew this was going to happen. And I'll miss Charlie, just like he'll miss me. But I can't dwell on it, or I'll just make myself feel worse. I want to get through all this…misery and get to the part where we're together forever." I was impressed with her ability to be logical at a time like this-I'm glad of it. I was always more strategic than the rest of my family, it was part of my nature. "So give it to me straight, Major Whitlock. What's it like?" I forgot that she really didn't know-Edward would never discuss it with her.

"It will be the most painful thing you've ever experienced. I will bite you in several places-where your major arteries flow. The more venom I can inject in your system the faster the transformation will be. Immediately after I bite, I'll be able to seal the wounds-thus keeping the venom in your system and not allowing much of your blood to flow. You remember the pain in your hand after James bit you last year?" She blanched, and I took that as understanding. I nodded at her realization. "It will take two or three days. The closer you get to the end, the more you'll be able to concentrate, hear sounds and voices. At the end, the venom will consume your heart-this will be by far the most painful part. And then, as if being thrown in ice water, it will be over."

"And then what? What will I be like…after?"

"It will be very confusing at first. We'll all be there with you. We'll walk you through it step by step. Your emotions will be all over the place, and you might be hard to control. You will be very thirsty-almost to the point you won't be able to take it. You'll have to hunt frequently. And you'll be very strong."

"How long will all this last? When will I be _me_ again?" She was stroking my hand, and it was wonderfully pleasant.

"Generally, within a year or two, you'll be more in control." Her eyes widened.

"A year or _two_? Wow. But I'll still be a little bit myself, right?"

"Of course! You'll absolutely be yourself. It will just take some time to get used to the new part of you. And don't worry-we'll stay with Carlisle and Esme, so you'll have family all around you, and I'll be with you the whole time." She felt relieved, but still a little worried. "When would you like to do it?" I asked her. I wanted it to be on her time frame.

She didn't say anything for a while, thinking. She was going from grieved, to worried, to moderately happy all at once, and it was almost making me dizzy. "You said my funeral is in two days?"

"Yes…" I said, wondering where she was going with this.

"I want to do it that day. As soon as you get back. I want to be in pain _with_ Charlie. I want my human life to end on the same day. Okay?"

I grabbed her hand. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do. I'll go and tell Carlisle."

The next two days passed quickly. Bella was doing her best to stay optimistic, but she was feeling anything but. Esme tried to keep her company all the time, so she didn't have to be alone. This morning she was feeling horrible. We-Carlisle, Esme and I-were getting ready to drive to Forks for Bella's funeral. We were only going to be gone a few hours, but Bella was upset because she knew where we'd be, and what was going to happen afterwards. But she was set on her path, and swore to me she was ready. We were standing on the porch, getting ready to leave, as I kissed her lightly on the lips once more.

"We'll be back before you know it. I love you." I said. She was crying again, the poor thing. I hated to see her in so much pain.

"I love you too," she sniffed as we got into the car.

The funeral was full of people-the whole town must have been there. Charlie was up front, accepting well wishes from everyone. We paid our respects to him and took our seats. Charlie said a few words before breaking down. Renee was there, but she wasn't able to get up in front of everyone. The priest was brief, speaking of Bella's short life and what a wonderful person she was. All in all, it was a very quick ceremony. I think it's hard to linger when someone so young loses their life. We pulled away as the rest of the cars drove towards the cemetery for the burial. And just like I promised her, we were back.

We strode into the house. Emmett was forcing Bella to play some game or another, and she was losing with grace. "Emmett, I suck at this. Please can I stop now?"

"I just wanted to beat you one more time as the blushing human that you are. It won't be so much fun beating you as a vampire." Emmett was nothing if not blunt. Bella rolled her eyes and looked up at me. She was immediately saddened.

"It was a lovely ceremony," Esme said, patting Bella on the shoulder.

"That's good," she said in reply. She was being brave and trying very hard not to cry. I just sat next to her and held her until she looked at me. "Thank you for going." She said simply, kissing me on the cheek.

"How could I not?" I replied. She curled up into my arms and looked around-the rest of the family was still there, trying very hard to be inconspicuous.

"I guess you're all waiting for me?" she said, almost whispering. Her fear was pulsing through the air, overriding anything else in the room.

"You take all the time you need, sweetheart," Esme replied. "This is completely up to you."

She took a deep breath. "Well, no use waiting any longer." She said, standing. She started towards the stairs, and the rest of us followed. Even Emmett looked somber. We were going to do it in _our_ room, that way she was in a familiar place when she 'woke.' She went into the bathroom and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Esme suggested that she would be cooler that way, even though it wasn't true. She lay down on the bed and looked at me. "Are _you_ ready?" She asked. I chuckled lightly at her concern.

"Absolutely. You say when, and I'll begin." She sat up, quickly, and threw her arms around me, kissing me fiercely on the lips. I returned her embrace with fervor, until she had to catch her breath. I smiled.

"I wanted to do that one more time while I was still warm and flushed. I wanted to feel my heart race again. Now I'm ready." She lay back down and looked at me expectantly.

I bent my head and kissed her neck.


	23. Walk Through the Fire

**I really hope you guys like this chapter-writing this for Bella was kind of hard. I can't imagine being on fire for days! Not that Jasper wouldn't be worth it ;)**

**I'll start working on the other story, One Final Taste, as soon as this one is close to wrapping-which, unfortunately, won't be too awful long from now. We've got a couple more surprises, but then it's time to let them have their happily ever after. But until then...**

Bella's POV

The last good thing I remembered was Jasper's cool lips on my neck. The bite itself was sharp, but I've suffered worse. But then I felt the venom. I remembered James's bite, but there was so much other pain, and I was so out of it…I didn't remember much. But I knew this was coming, and that didn't help. I was waiting for it. And when it hit…I wished I didn't. I wished Carlisle could have put me under. And then, a few minutes in, I wished that he would have killed me instead. He said he was going to bite me more than once, in order to make the process faster. Faster?! How much faster? I could tell that he bit my neck again, and I was pretty sure he bit me in the crook of each arm. The way my legs were burning I was sure there were some leg bites as well. It was like I was drowning in lava, breathing it in as it consumed the rest of my body at the same time.

And the burn was all I remembered for forever. It was the worst pain ever…until it got worse. I was screaming and clawing and nobody was doing anything about it! I knew they were there, too-every now and then I would feel a cool hand or cold breath at my ear. I didn't know what they were saying. All I could hear were my screams. The last coherent thought I had was _death is better…_

And then, after an eternity, I could focus again. More like think around the burn. I knew this would happen, and I had hoped that it would mean the pain would be lessened. How wrong I was. I could pay more attention to what was happening around me, but I could also pay attention to the pain. I could feel each tongue of fire as it licked itself through each one of my veins. I tried to focus on the voices instead.

"_How much longer, Carlisle?" _It was Esme. Even through the fire I could hear the worry in her voice. I felt Carlisle's hand on my forehead-not so cold anymore. Odd.

"_Not much longer. Her body temperature is significantly lower, and her skin is losing its pliability. If I had to guess, I'd say she'll wake up by tonight." _Tonight! How many hours was that?

"_Alice would be able to narrow it down…"_ Emmett. I wondered if Alice and Edward knew what was happening. Surely at least Alice did, and it would take a miracle to keep Edward out of her head.

"_We will not bother Alice. This situation is hard enough on her as it is. She will come back to us when she's ready."_ I wished Alice were here.

"_Jasper?"_ Esme again. _"Why don't you go take a break outside? She has some time left, and you should hunt before she wakes up." _I didn't realize until now that I was holding someone's hand-it must have been Jaspers. Still not cold. And soft somehow…

"_No. Absolutely not. I swore I wouldn't leave her, and I won't. It's…not that bad. I'll stay until she wakes, and then I'll go hunting with her."_ I didn't realize that my anguish would hurt him as well. I tried to rein it in, but it was impossible. It just hurt so _much…_

I didn't hear anymore voices for a while. Several hours later, I noticed the pain was changing. This sent a spike of fear in me, because I remembered what Jasper said. _The worst pain imaginable._ My heart accelerated, knowing what was coming. My fingertips were free from the fire as it slowly started working its way towards my chest. The same for my toes. And then the fire reached my heart, and I knew Jasper didn't lie to me. It was magnified a hundred times, and the scream I let out echoed around the room. I couldn't breathe! Then my chest exploded, and my heart was silent. It was like I had been doused in ice water-the relief was incredible. I let out the breath I had been holding and inhaled another. It was…strange. I got so much from that breath, like I had smelled a hundred different things at the same time. Only I could taste them too. The first scent that hit me was amazingly pleasant-cotton, earth and aloe all together. It must have been Jasper.

"Bella, honey? Can you hear me?" He was anxious, but he wasn't touching me anymore. Why was that, I wonder? I should open my eyes. I was childishly afraid of what I would see, though. I hadn't even realized I wasn't breathing, either. "Bella?" Okay. Man up, Bella-the worst parts over. I opened my eyes.

_Damn._ Everything was bright, but not too bright. I could see dust, and all the details of everything-chairs, the bed, the dresser-it was incredible. My eyes searched for Jasper, and when I found him I gasped. I knew he had scars, I'd seen them. But it was different with these new eyes. They stood out, and I was immediately scared for him. He smiled at me, noticing my apprehension.

"Happens all the time, love." He stroked my face, and I was amazed that we were the same temperature. I smiled back, timidly. I took a moment to scan the room. Everyone was there, and they were all more beautiful than I would have thought possible. Carlisle approached first-cautiously.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" he asked. I thought about that for a second. Now that the burn was gone, I felt great. Except my throat. My throat was scorched-unbearably so. This was _thirsty?_

"Okay, I guess," I answered, and my voice was like music. Wow. "My throat…" I said, clutching my neck.

"Of course-your thirst must be very uncomfortable. It will lessen after you hunt. We'll all go with you, and then we can talk further." Carlisle motioned for me to stand up, and then I was. Apparently I was seriously going to have to think about my movements. On the way forward, however, I caught myself in the mirror. I was glad to see that I was finally beautiful, but that I was still _me._ My lips were the same, and my hair. My eyes, on the other hand, were…scary. A bright crimson stared back at me, and I turned away. Jasper must have noticed my upset.

"It will only last a few months, sugar. They'll eventually turn to a nice gold, like ours." He approached me cautiously, smiling tentatively. What was he so afraid of? "You look beautiful," he whispered. "As usual." I smiled. "Ready to hunt?"

Alice's POV

There's just something about the jungle that helps me think. Maybe all the life churning around me, or the smell of the moisture in the ground. But I was happy here, and I wasn't alone. Edward was perched on the same limb that I was, laying back with his eyes closed.

"I'm pretending," he answered my thoughts. _What?_ "I'm pretending to sleep. Have you ever tried it?" I laughed out loud. _What's the point?_ "No point. Just fun."

My brother. He had improved exponentially since we've been away, but he was going to be grieving for a long time. I was taking it better then he was.

"You had more time to prepare," he replied. That was true.

The vision hit me and I almost fell of the branch. _Carlisle and Esme's house. The spare bedroom. Jasper and Bella talking. Bella, Writhing in pain. The whole family standing and waiting. Bella-awake, with bright crimson eyes. They were getting ready for her first hunt. Jasper had her hand, and they walked out the door together. They passed a calendar on the wall, and I noticed the date. Today._

Well, it's not like I didn't know that was coming, really. I figured they'd wait a while, though. But he was right-Bella was beautiful.

"He's done it…" Edward mouthed.

"Well, of course he has! Edward, don't you see? He's the complete opposite of you. Everything you wouldn't do for Bella, he has done. He wanted her forever, so he took her. One of your fatal flaws."

"But…this means she'll be one of us forever. I mean, I knew it would happen eventually-she's always wanted it. But to see it before my own eyes…it doesn't take the sting away. I'm not upset that she's immortal, Alice-I'm upset because she's not immortal with _me._ I miss her."

"I know. But someday you'll be able to be her friend. You'll always love her, and I'll always love Jasper, but we _will_ be okay." _I know it._ I showed him the vision I had one night while he was gone. It was years down the road-I didn't know how many-and it was Christmas. We were all together, celebrating. All of us in the same room. Bella was immortal, like I always knew she would be, I just didn't know when. Until now. Bella was handing Edward a present, and he was taking it with a smile on his face. Pained, but a smile none the less. And I was sitting next to Jasper on the couch, just talking. Carlisle and Esme were kissing under the mistletoe, and Emmett and Rose were laughing in the corner. It was a lovely vision.

"I hope so, Alice," was all he said.


	24. My Immortal

**Okay, I did this a bit differently than most people. I see Bella's first hunt from her POV-this is from Jaspers. And something happens in this chapter that I bet some of you may not like, but please don't crucify me!**

**And thank you for the reviews-please keep them coming! And nobody guessed where I got the chapter title for the last chapter-but I didn't tell you to so it's my fault. It's from Buffy the Vampire Slayer-the episode called 'Once More with Feeling.' I heart Buffy.**

It was very difficult to find words to describe my immortal Bella. She was beautiful, of course, but she always was. It was like all the wonderful things about her appearance were heightened. She was trying very hard to be calm, and pay attention to what she was doing. I tried to make it as easy as possible on her by taking things slow. I could see the wonder in her eyes when she looked at me, and the fear. But I expected that. She didn't look upset, so I wasn't going to draw attention to it. It was decided that Emmett, Carlisle and I would accompany her on the first hunt-for guidance and for safety. She was reluctant as we headed towards the door.

"I am…frightened." She stated. Her hand reached for mine, and I took it-how odd it was that her skin was the same as mine! Her red eyes were frowning.

"Don't worry. Now, you're the most dangerous thing in the woods. And it will come naturally to you-you'll see. And if you have questions, that's what we're here for. Would you like to watch me first?" Bella had never been allowed to see any of us hunt, for fear of losing control around her. I think part of her realized this fact, and that didn't help ease her insecurities. She nodded, though, and followed us into the woods. We went a few miles out into open air.

I tugged her hand, motioning for her to stop. "Watch," I mouthed. I closed my eyes and tilted my head skyward, taking in all the scents around me. Nothing out of the ordinary, really-trees, grass…elk. I looked at Bella. "Do you smell that?" I asked, motioning to the North. She tentatively sniffed, and then wrinkled her nose. I smiled, realizing how absolutely unappealing that would smell to her.

"I don't want to eat _that,_" she whined, her face still a mask of disgust.

"Sorry, sugar, but that's all there is." I would take down a small one quickly, so not to stir the herd, and then let her have a go. Carlisle and Emmett hung back, just there for support. I took it down quickly and quietly, pulling it to the side. The others didn't even flinch. I grinned, smug. Bella watched me the whole time, and I could tell she wasn't as afraid as before. Her natural instincts were kicking in. "Now you go. Do what feels natural. I'm going to sit with Carlisle and Emmett, and when you're finished we'll go back to the house. Take as many as you like," I said to her, motioning to the rest of the herd in the clearing. I knew she wouldn't want me to hover, she was more comfortable trying it on her own. She nodded.

Carlisle was smiling at me when I joined him. He was radiating joy at finally having another daughter-he felt his family was complete now. If only the rest of them would join… "She's doing well, Jasper," he said as we watched her take down her first elk. She was horribly messy, of course, but that was to be expected. Her nose was wrinkled, but she was drinking. I turned my attention back to Carlisle.

"She's feeling better all the time. She's trying very hard to pay attention to everything and not let herself become overwhelmed. She--"

"Guys?" Emmett interrupted. I put one finger up in an attempt to finish my sentence.

"She's going to have a lot of questions when we get back, I'm sure—" Emmett was yanking my arm now.

"I hate to interrupt your conversation here, but Bella took off," he said, not at all concerned. My head whipped back towards the clearing, and sure enough she was gone. What was I thinking, taking my eyes off her?! The three of us headed to where she was last seen, and I inhaled a deep breath.

Two things about what I smelled seriously alarmed me. The first scent was human. The second sent was Bella, heading in that direction. Eyes wide, I turned to Carlisle. He noticed it too.

"What's a human doing all the way out here!?" I yelled, taking off in the direction of the scent.

"It's far for a hike, but not unheard of. A hiker probably felt like seeing something beyond the trail. I just hope…" The fear he was feeling finished his sentence. _I just hope we're in time._ We ran, and I couldn't believe how fast she was! I haven't dealt with a newborn in so long. This was my fault.

"There!" Emmett shouted, and I turned to follow him. The first thing I saw was the back of Bella's head. _Thank God,_ I thought. I was preemptive. _Not in time._ She turned to us and her eyes were wide with horror. Her body was wracked with would-be sobs as her eyes turned to the hiker at her feet.

"I…couldn't…I didn't mean…I couldn't stop!" she cried between breaths. Her hands were covering her face now, and they were covered in blood. I ran to her and pulled her in my arms.

"Shhh…It's my fault, Bella, my fault. I should have been watching you. I wasn't paying enough attention. It's okay…" I crooned, trying to calm her down.

"It's not okay, Jasper! I killed him! And I haven't even been awake for 6 hours! What's wrong with me?!" her panic was shooting through, mixed in with a great deal of anger. This was what being a newborn was all about.

"Nothing is wrong with you, do you understand me? It's part of it. You will learn to control it, but you can't expect to just wake up and have our control. We've all made mistakes-look at me! Most of us have slipped. Even Esme." She looked up at me then.

"Esme? Really?" she turned towards Carlisle for confirmation.

"In a situation much like this, as a matter of fact," he began. "You see, it was only Edward and I then, and I was smug enough to think I could take her out on my own. She got away from me, and I didn't reach her in time. She was quite upset. I'm sure she'd be more than happy to speak to you about it, if you like."

"I think I would." She was still clutching onto me.

"Bella, honey? Are you still thirsty?" I had to ask. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable, although I knew she probably wouldn't be after having a human.

"No." she answered.

"Let's go back home then, alright?" She nodded into my chest. We took it slow. Bella was moping of course, and I couldn't blame her. Even though she made this choice, I don't think she really _knew_ what it entailed. She only saw the side of us that we presented _now_: well controlled (mostly) and 'vegetarian.' She never saw us in the beginning, when we were only bloodthirsty and raging. It was a phase we all had to go through, and unfortunately I let her pay the ultimate price.

Surprisingly, Esme was waiting for us on the porch, looking and feeling worried. Almost as if she knew…

"Alice called," she said, answering my thoughts. Of course Alice would have seen this. "She said Bella was going to need me when she got back." She looked at Bella and opened her arms. Bella didn't hesitate as she ran forward into them. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that, darling," she said as she stroked her hair and went inside. Bella's body was wracked with dry sobs again as she moved with Esme. I turned to Emmett.

"Would you mind…" I trailed off as my eyes motioned to where we'd just been.

"Nope-I'm on it." And he was off. We needed to clean up our little 'accident' quickly, and I didn't want to leave in case Bella needed me. The phone in my pocket buzzed, breaking me out of my reverie. Alice.

"Alice, thank you. I didn't want to have to explain in front of Bella again-it was nice of you to let Esme know ahead of time."

"No problem. I couldn't help it, really, when I saw what happened. Nice job paying attention, by the way." I frowned again at my misjudgment. "But that's not why I'm calling. I want to come home, Jasper. I miss everyone."

"Why are you telling me this, though? It's your home too." Sometimes her motives were beyond me.

"I wanted to make sure it was okay with you…and Bella. I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

"What?! Alice, honestly! Bella loves you. She'd probably be more worried about making _you_ uncomfortable. In fact, I think she'd be happy to see you right now. She needs a girlfriend, and all she has is Rosalie." Alice's musical chuckle came through the other end.

"Great. I'll be leaving tonight, then." One thing was bothering me.

"And Edward?" I asked. She hesitated.

"He's going to wait a few weeks-let me get settled. He also wants Bella to be comfortable with the idea, and with her so new it probably wouldn't be. Once she's established a bit more, then he'll come home. He said as soon as we call him, he'll be there."

"Good idea. Bella is still talking with Esme right now, but as soon as she's finished I'll let everyone know. I'll see you soon." The phone clicked and I knew she'd hung up. Bella would be happy, I was sure. And Esme and Carlisle missed her terribly, so they would be thrilled. Even I looked forward to having us all back together again. Mostly.

**Bah! I'm sorry. Not really. The way I see it, Bella would be the same as any newborn-I dont' believe she'd be the first one ever with super self-control. What fun is that?! It's only fair, in my book-if you've read my other story, A Favor, you'd know this. And don't worry-I'll give Bella a power-one power!-but in a bit. She's still all confused and such.**


	25. Family Time

**Disclaimer: Not mine!**

**Sorry for not updating sooner-I know i'm usually super fast. But not that summer is here, I've just been working more. **

**I hate to keep reminding everyone, but this story is winding down. On the up side, I'll be working on One Final Taste starting today! So if you don't have it on alert, you should get on it, because If I were you I'd expect a chapter sometime later today! Keep in mind that I might do some tweaking to the first one-maybe-but I'll let you know if I do.**

Esme still had her arms wrapped around Bella when I walked in. She was looking a little better, and her emotions were in check. She was feeling sad, but not overly so. "Are you feeling better?" I asked her. Emmett trailed in behind me, having taken care of things rather quickly.

"A little. I just can't believe I did that! It's like I lost myself, and all I cared about was blood. I mean, I knew that would happen, but it's different experiencing it. I _do not_ like it." I sat down on her other side and took her hand in mine.

"Don't feel bad, little sis, I've eaten a few people in my day," Emmett said, slapping me on the shoulder while grinning at Bella. She frowned.

"None of us do. But it's natural for us, remember that. And it's partly my fault anyway. I should have been paying closer attention. I won't let it happen again, and soon enough you'll be in better control." She nodded, curling her body into mine. I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead lightly. Everyone was here, so I figured it was the best time to tell them about Alice.

"I got a phone call while I was outside," I said, trying to be nonchalant. All eyes in the room turned on me. Bella peaked up at me curiously. "Alice will be coming home tomorrow." I waited, tasting the emotional climate. Happily I found that generally everyone was pleased. Everyone but Bella. She was nervous-and scared. "There's nothing to worry about, love. She's very excited to see you."

She surprised me. "It's not Alice I'm worried about. I can't wait to see her again! But…is…Edward…coming with her?" Of course. The last time they'd seen each other had been rather teary and sad. And I couldn't help but worry about how Edward was going to handle Bella as a vampire. He was always so vehemently against it.

"No, he's not coming with her. He's not quite ready to see everyone yet. But Alice assures me that soon enough he'll find his way back home." Bella's fears eased for the time being, knowing that she had a little more time left. Esme's glee was the strongest emotion in the room. Having all her children in a row again is all she wants. I turned to Bella. "Would you like to go upstairs and talk?" I asked, thinking she might want some alone time. Her mood said otherwise. She was feeling…mischievous?

"Not right now, Jasper. Actually, there's something I want to do." She turned to Emmett. "Hey, Emmett," she called. Emmett looked at her, and noticing the look in her eyes, he grinned.

"Yes, Bella?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Bella stood up, trying to look tall.

"Wanna wrestle?" she said, a huge grin breaking out across her face. Apparently she had decided it would be fun to test her strength.

"Let's do it." He replied, serious. The two of them walked out the back door and into the opening, Emmett crouching as soon as he had room. A small growl ripped from him as he turned to Bella and grinned. "Bring it." The rest of us filed out to watch. Emmett had never had to deal with a newborn before. Bella crouched as well, and seeing her like that…it was the hottest thing I'd ever seen. She growled back at Emmett and sprang. He caught her mid-flight and took her down to the ground, but Bella was stronger than he gave her credit for. She flipped him over and had an arm around his neck before he even registered what was happening. "What the—" he hissed, trying to break her hold. Rosalie walked forward.

"Looks like your down for the count," she laughed as Emmett continued to struggle. Bella flipped around and pinned him to the ground.

"I win!" she cried, finally letting him up. "Jasper said I'd be strong, but I wanted to know _how_ strong. And I'm stronger than Emmett!" She was dancing a little celebration dance around the yard as Emmett glared at her from the ground. He hadn't yet found the dignity to get up.

"I'll get you back," he muttered, but she didn't pay any attention. She was too busy dancing. She danced her way to me, and I couldn't stop the surge of lust I felt at the way she moved. So fluid…she threw her arms around me, but immediately jumped back. I frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked, and I could tell by the look on her face that she'd be blushing if she still could.

"When I hugged you, all of the sudden I felt very…naughty." She looked and felt puzzled, and so did I. And then I remembered-the wave of lust that hit me while she danced. But is that possible? Isn't that _my_ job? There's only one way to find out. And by now, everyone had noticed my curious expression and had gathered around.

"Bella, I want to try something. Put your hands on me again," I asked. She looked concerned but didn't say anything as she placed her hands on my face. I concentrated on feeling very sad. Her face puckered and she pulled away again.

"What's wrong?" she asked me.

"Did you feel that, then?" I replied.

"Feel what? I felt sad. Did you do that?"

"Yes, but I didn't project it onto you. It was my own personal feeling. When you hugged me and you said you felt naughty, I was feeling very lustful at the time. Again, I was keeping that to myself. But just to be safe, why don't we try it with someone else? Carlisle?" I volunteered. He walked forward, and I could see the eagerness in his eyes. He loved new information. "Concentrate on an emotion-any emotion. I won't influence you at all, and then let's see if Bella can tell what you're feeling." Carlisle closed his eyes and Bella reached out and touched him. She thought for a moment.

"Nervous?" she said as she pulled away. Carlisle smiled and nodded. "Oh! So does that mean…I'm kind of an empath? Like Jasper?"

"Similar, yes, but not the same. We'll have to experiment and see if you can control emotions or just feel them. And then see if you can feel them from a distance or if you have to have physical contact. Jasper? Explain to Bella how you reach out and feel peoples emotions. Maybe she could try it."

"Generally, I focus on them and let my guard down, I guess. It's not something I can explain, per say. It's like I reach out and touch them with my eyes." Well that clears things up, Jasper! Bella's eyes moved around the yard, focusing on everyone individually. Once she had looked at all of us, she shrugged.

"Either I'm not doing it right, or I can't do it. I don't feel anything but what I'm feeling." Carlisle nodded.

"Alright. Then why don't you try to make us feel what you're feeling?" Again, Bella focused on each one of us, and the concentration was etched on her face.

"I was trying to make you all feel happy. Did it work?" We all shook our heads.

"It was just a thought. At least you know what you _can_ do now, and that's something," Carlisle said, trying to sooth the angry look off her face. The sun was starting to rise-I hadn't realized we'd been out here all night!

"Geez, Bella! I thought you'd be happier to see me than_ that_!" The voice didn't come from any of us, but from the small vampire behind us.

"Alice!" Bella squealed. Before she knew what she was doing, she was standing by her. "Boy, that speed sure is…speedy." She said, shaking her head as she flung her arms around her lost sister. Alice responded as equally enthusiastic as the rest of the family came forward to greet her as well.

"I've missed you all _so much_!" She cried, breaking from Bella and hugging the rest of the family. She came to me last. "I've missed you too, soldier." She winked. All I could feel from her was pure happiness.

"I'm glad you came home." I replied. She gave me one more fleeting grin before turning back to Bella. Her eyes raked her figure as she tsk'd and shook her finger.

"I can't believe they let you wake up in _that._ She said, waving her hand at Bella's outfit." Bella's face scrunched up.

"It was comfortable." She said, feebly attempting to protect her outfit.

"Well, it's a disaster. Come on, let's go in the house. We can do some online shopping for you." She grabbed Bella's hand and dragged her towards the house. Bella was cringing, but she let Alice go. She could have easily broken her grip if she wanted to.

I smiled. Alice stopped before they got to the house and turned around.

"Oh-I forgot to tell you. Edward will be coming home in 2 weeks." And then she continued to pull the brunette into the house and towards the computer.

I heard Esme turn to Carlisle-they were both behind me. "Just think! The whole family together in 2 weeks." Esme's joy was catastrophic.


	26. Construction Work

**Thank you, lovely reviewers! Please keep them coming! **

**I just want to remind everyone of a few things. First, I know I usually upload a few chapters a week, but college is out now and I did a lot of work there on my break. So I can only promise one chapter a week. secondly, this story is rapidly winding down. But my other story, One Final Taste, is just picking up! **

The next week and a half flew by in record time. Now that Bella didn't have to waste time sleeping, we spent as much time as possible together-she learned something new every day. I never got tired of watching her, either. She was genuinely glad to have Alice back in her life, as well. And Alice enjoyed being with her. Bella was her second sister, and she loved her. Every now and then, when I would kiss Bella or she would touch me, would I see a flash of something in Alice's eyes that I wasn't meant to. But I never felt any outward animosity from her. Edward would be coming home in a few days, and that had Bella on edge. I have the perfect remedy.

"Bella? Come up here for a minute." I was sitting in our room while she was downstairs playing something or another with Emmett. I heard her flit upstairs and into the room. At the same time, I could hear Alice quietly hiss "_I think we should go hunt now. All of us."_ God bless her! She entered the room and looked questioningly at me while she sat down on the bed. Perfect.

"Where's everyone going?" she asked, frowning. I smiled.

"They've gone to hunt."

"Why? We could have gone with them!" she pouted. I was no longer smiling, instead I was staring at Bella with a look that could set fire to this very room.

"I didn't want us to go with them. I wanted you to stay here with me. Alone." I trailed my fingers up her arm and rested my palm on her cheek. With my other hand, I took her left and put it on my cheek. I wanted her to feel _exactly_ what I was feeling, without projecting it onto her. And all I was feeling was want. I watched her eyes widen and roll back a bit as the realization dawned on her features.

"Oh…" she breathed. We hadn't made love since she had been changed, and it wasn't for lack of desire. Her emotions had been to out of sorts with the change at first, and then Alice's return had given her another dose of guilt-even though it was unnecessary. And Bella was essentially a modest person, so doing 'it' in a house full of vampires, when she new exactly how well we can hear now, was not exactly appealing to her. Alice must have known exactly what was on my mind. And I didn't care. All I could see was her, and I couldn't wait until she was all I could feel as well.

I brought my face down to meet hers and placed an urgent kiss on her mouth. I no longer had to be gentle, because she was more liable to break me than I to her. She returned in fervor, finally able to let down her guard completely. "Gone?" she mumbled, and I assumed she was talking about the family-even though we'd already covered that.

"Hunting, remember?" I replied as I ripped the buttons from her shirt.

"Alice…" she breathed, and I nodded into her throat. She clawed at the back of my shirt until it was torn enough for her to rip off. I continued to lay open kisses from her throat to her mouth. She eagerly accepted my advances, and I kissed her so deep I didn't think I'd find my way back out again. A guttural growl began to build in her chest. My hands made quick work of the bra she was wearing-I was going to owe her an entire outfit- and I couldn't help but bring my lips to each one of her breasts in homage. She scratched me hard enough that I involuntarily bit down, but she arched her back bringing herself closer to me. God…

Bella's hands began moving frantically at the button on my pants. She pulled too hard, making her angry, and she ripped them completely off _She_ was going to owe _me_ an entire outfit. And I didn't give a damn. I removed her shorts and underwear quickly and then immediately picked her up. She wrapped her legs around me and I very nearly lost it. I pushed her into the wall next to the bed (I think it cracked) and began to devour her mouth again. Her body was moving involuntarily against mine, and I couldn't wait another second. I pushed into her hard and fast, gasping all the while as she tried to cling herself closer to me. She was constantly making some sort of noise-almost a purr-and it was glorious and I loved her and I would take her again and again and again…

She pushed herself hard onto me, hard enough to fall backwards (I think we made a hole) and the site of her, there on top of me, clawing and purring and screaming, was…it. I cried out, holding her so tightly it would have broken something otherwise, as she met me in the end and threw her head back and wailed. We were both panting, even though we didn't need to breathe. I picked her up as she smiled at me, looking almost tired if it were possible. I sat her back down on the bed, which was oddly lopsided. And then I took a moment to survey the room.

"Oh my…" she said as she followed my eyes. "We broke it!" And then she was laughing. Naked, laughing and rolling around on the lopsided bed. And I joined her. Because we _did_ break it. The wall, the floor, the bed…we were surrounded in plaster.

"It was worth it," I said as our laughter subsided. She began searching the closet for something to wear, and I joined her. I didn't know how long the family was going to be gone, but my guess was it wouldn't be much longer. And we were going to have to answer to this.

"Emmett will die when he sees this. I will never live it down." Bella said, only slightly worried.

"I don't care," I said to her, kissing her lightly. And sure enough, as soon as we were dressed, the door downstairs opened. I could hear several pairs of feet flying up the stairs. "Brace yourself," I whispered to her. Alice was the first through the door, smiling. She had already seen this, of course, and I did cringe a bit at that. She merely rolled her eyes and perched herself on the chair in the corner. Emmett was next. His eyes widened as he surveyed the room, and then he broke into an ecstatic smile.

"Oh man, you guys! Good thing we came back when we did, or we'd have to find another house!" he was clutching his sides in laughter. Carlisle and Esme followed suit, only looking mildly surprised at the damage.

"Need I remind you, Emmett, of the damage that you and Rosalie created your first years together?" Carlisle chided softly, immediately causing Emmett to quiet. "I'm glad you two…" and Carlisle didn't finish. He shook his head and then left. Esme merely smiled her knowing smile and followed him. Rosalie joined her husband, and to my surprise she grinned at both of us.

"Smooth," was all she said. She grabbed Emmett by the arm and tugged him out. It was only the three of us now.

Alice gave Bella a very knowing look, smirking all the while. And if Bella could have blushed, she would have.

"I'll only hang out for a minute," she started. "I just wanted to make sure Bella was okay. With Edward coming home so soon, I mean." Bella looked at her for a moment before she spoke.

"I think so. I'll feel better once this whole 'meet Bella the vampire' thing passes. And then everyone will be together again. Will he stay, Alice?" Bella asked. I watched Alice close her eyes for a moment, her face revealing nothing.

"I'm not sure. That's the best I can do for now. I'm going shopping now," she glanced at the floor, "because you need new clothes apparently." She smiled, and then she was gone. I looked at Bella, and it was wonderful.

**I thought we were due for a small glass of lemonade. I hope it was refreshing! **


	27. Let's Make it Official

**Keep on reviewin' guys! **

Bella was pacing the front lawn, moving so quickly that it was hard to keep up. We were all waiting with her-according to Alice Edward would be here any time. Suddenly she came to an abrupt halt. She turned towards the nearest tree, pulled her fist back, and hit it. The put a hole the size of a baseball and 6 inches deep in the base. Then she growled.

"I think that was uncalled for, Bella. After all, what did that tree ever do to you?" Emmett said mockingly, visibly enjoying his sister's distress. You didn't need to be an empath to notice that this stress wasn't the same kind of stress that she experienced last time she was face to face with Edward. She was more afraid of how he was going to take it than to how she was going to feel. She no longer loved Edward-at least not like she used to. She _wanted_ him to be a part of the family. She was afraid that he would leave again because of her. She didn't want to tear the family apart anymore than she already had-in her opinion. Bella rounded on her brother and let a warning growl slip through her lips. Emmett rolled his eyes.

"First, Emmett, didn't you learn your lesson last time you antagonized her?" Alice piped up, standing and walking towards Bella. "And secondly, Bella, stop hitting things. It's unladylike." Bella hissed. Alice pointed towards the woods. "We've got company." And Bella, still getting used to her new speed, walked towards me and away from me three times before Alice grabbed her by the waist. "Stay here. He's got to see you like you are." Edward emerged from the trees. I didn't know what to expect. His eyes immediately sought Bella, and when he saw her…he was so many things. Sad, ashamed, miserable, joyous, _in love…_and then he fell to his knees.

"You are…perfect. Bella, believe me when I say that I only wanted to keep you human so you would have a normal life. My greatest desire was to have you mine, forever, just like me. And now…now you're his. I look at you, and I see everything I ever wanted, and I know that I will never want anyone else as long as I live. I'm only going to ask you one more time. Please?" And he was asking for a lot of things. He wanted forgiveness. He wanted her love. He wanted her to leave me for him. I stood by. I let him beg. It wouldn't be fair to me otherwise, because I would want the same chance. I would hold out onto that hope that maybe, just maybe she'd change her mind and come running back to me. But I never doubted Bella, like he had. I knew she was mine. And there wasn't anyone else here right now except those two as Bella fell to her knees in front of Edward.

She pulled him to her, and I knew she was feeling his emotions. She needed to. Her hands were on his face while she sobbed tearlessly, because for once she knew _exactly_ how he felt. She was looking at him straight in the eye when she shook her head no.

"No, Edward. No. _He_ is _my_ everything. But I do care about you, as does the rest of this family. And I want you to stay with us, because it hurts them when you're gone. I want us to be a family, but I understand if you can't stand to be around me. But you need to know that I want you here, in my life, even if it isn't how you originally planned." She hugged him, and then kissed his forehead. She stood up, bringing him to his feet as well. "Don't put me on a pedestal anymore. Don't kneel in front of me. I'm not something to be worshiped, something untouchable. I'm just like you."

I wanted to stand up and present her with the academy award for best speech ever, but that wouldn't be appropriate. I was giddy with relief, because this was the one thing hanging over our heads. She needed to get this out. Carlisle chose this moment to make himself known.

"Bella's absolutely right. We're so glad you came back, and we want you to stay. What to you say, son?" I could feel Edward's resignation as he looked around at the rest of the family. His eyes rested on Alice a moment longer than everyone else. I saw him nod.

"I miss my family. I want to stay." Was all he said. Carlisle embraced him as Esme ran to join them, everyone simultaneously moving towards the house. Everyone except me. Bella turned towards me, expectantly, but I motioned for her to follow me. I lead her away from the house, out of hearing distance.

"Bella, I love you," I said, pulling her towards me. She laughed.

"I know. I love you too. What's all this about?" she asked. She didn't miss anything, that one.

"I want to ask you something. I don't want to make a big deal out of it, since that's not your thing, but I wanted to do it privately, for obvious reasons." _Stop babbling, Jasper!_

"Spit it out, cowboy." She said, reaching out to touch me. I saw curiosity cross her face as she felt my anxiety. And then I couldn't decide how to ask. I hadn't thought that far ahead. And now I was panicking. Fantastic. What do I do? I felt my phone vibrate, glad for the distraction. It was a text message. _Get down on one knee. – A_ And I did.

"I know that I already have you for forever. I have no doubt in my mind that we are going to spend every day of eternity in love. I want you to marry me, Bella, so that we're tied together in every sense of the word. I love you, and I want you to marry me." She stood there for a moment, staring into my eyes.

"Yes." She didn't say anything else as she watched dawn break over my face. I got up, swung her in my arms and kissed her with more passion that I had felt in a long time.

"I have an engagement ring, if you want it." I knew Bella didn't care for Jewelry, and this was more symbolic than anything.

"I only want your name." was how she replied. I kissed her again as we started the walk back to the house. Of course Alice was on the porch.

"I'm willing to let the engagement ring slide, but if I have to force a wedding band on your hand, by God I will." She was comically fuming. Bella smiled.

"I don't want a big wedding, Alice. In fact, I'd be happy if we just went down to the courthouse…" Alice's glare silenced that train of thought. "How about just family? I'll wear a dress, but that's as far as it goes. We can do it in the front yard, and Emmett could officiate." She grinned at the ludicrous idea, but Emmett must have heard.

"I'm gonna do what?" he asked, looking between the three of us. I saw Bella grin wickedly at Alice.

"Jasper and I are going to get married. I only want family, and I want to do it here in the yard. I told Alice I'd wear a dress, but that's all. And I said you could officiate." It took him all of a half of a second to answer.

"Sweet. I can get that certificate online, right? Because I totally will. Can I write your vows, too?" Bella was laughing, and I had to join in.

"No, I think that Bella and I should write our own vows. But if you're serious about getting certified, I'd love to have you at the head of the aisle." I could tell this wasn't how Alice had envisioned it, but it would be the perfect wedding for Bella. Fun and laughter instead of tears and seriousness. I hadn't noticed the rest of the family join us on the porch until just now, curious about the laughter.

"What's so funny?" Rosalie asked, and surprisingly she turned to Bella.

"Jasper and I are getting married, and Emmett is going to officiate." She gave them the short version. There was a pause, and the strain was palpable. How would Edward react?

"It's just like you, Emmett," Edward said, and a weak smile played on his lips. It didn't touch his eyes, but it was accepting. And all the walls were down as we laughed together, visions of Emmett wearing holy robes dancing in our heads.

"I'm serious, though," Bella started, "I want you to do it. And just the family. Nothing big." Everyone nodded in agreement, and then laughed again as Emmett headed inside to 'make it official.' There was just one more thing…_Edward, let's take a walk._ I thought, and he nodded. He and Bella may be on the mend, so to speak, but we haven't talked since he found out. It seemed like taking walks in the woods was the center for my day. Edward let out a brief chuckle.

We stopped, and I turned to face him. "I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not." I sounded like a child.

"A little, yes. But I don't expect you to be sorry. There's a reason Alice made me wait to talk to you until now. It's because I wasn't ready. I was blaming you for everything, and blaming me for nothing. But she cleared it up for me. Everything I wouldn't give her, you would. I treated her like a child. A breakable, frail, child. And I spent more time protecting her than loving her, like you do." Wow.

"I swear it didn't happen on purpose. We were both broken up, and just needed…something. I turned out we needed each other. I love her." He was feeling grief, of course.

"I know. And she loves you. And believe me, I thought about fighting back. I thought about killing you-I'm sorry about that. I thought about killing myself. And then I thought about Bella. I didn't want to do anything to cause her any more pain. So I gave up."

"Gave up?"

"I know I can't win her back. I know she belongs to you. I just…let it happen. Because, more than anything, I want her to be happy. And if you make her happy, then so be it." _Thanks._ "I'm going to dry my hardest to make this work. Because she wants it, and because I honestly do miss my family. But don't expect me to go throwing rice at your wedding." _I don't._

"The fact that you're letting this happen shows how much you've grown. I know you don't see it like that, but when you met Bella you were childish and selfish. And now you see the bigger picture. I'm glad to have you back." It was a truce, I think. I knew that Edward and I had a long way to being okay, but at least we were working on it.

"We'll be okay someday. Alice seems to think so, at least."

"Ahh, Alice." And we walked back towards the house in comfortable silence.

**So there you have it! I'm thinking next chapter we'll have J/B's wedding, and then an epilogue. Don't be mad, you know it's time. :)**


	28. Daisy

**Here it is! The final chapter. I hope my vision of Bella's wedding is fitting. And thank you all for staying with me. I love all of you guys! Please review, and help me go out with a bang!**

"Come _on_, Bella!" I could hear Alice cry as she tried futilely to get Bella to cooperate. We were getting married today, and even though Bella begrudged her the dress, that was just about all she was willing to do.

"No, Alice, just no. I'm not wearing some stupid crown like I'm freaking royalty, because I'm not!" I heard the sounds of a brief scuffle. Alice must really be giving it all she's got!

"It will look so pretty on you, though! And it's going to be sunny today, so the sparkles will match your skin! _Please!!_" I could hear as well as feel the desperation pouring from Alice. If I knew her, she would consider it blasphemy not to dress like a princess on her wedding day. She already thought it was bad enough that Emmett was going to be officiating. Bella growled.

"Alice, I _swear_ to _God_. I'm not wearing it. Please, just please with the crown! Could we just, I don't know, just curl my hair a bit and call it good?" She wasn't giving in. I couldn't help but smile at her bravery as I chuckled to myself and went to finish getting ready. As I walked into the room, Carlisle was waiting for me.

"How are you feeling, Jasper?" he asked.

"Honestly, Carlisle? Fine. I'm not nervous or anything. I'm…happy. This just feels right." It was the easiest way to explain it. And I wasn't lying-I was absolutely not nervous. And from what I could tell, Bella wasn't either. This wasn't going to be some big thing with bells and whistles and all of that. This was just Bella and I finally making things right. My families eyes would be the only eyes to bear witness, and I was fine with that. I think Bella was a little sad that her mother couldn't be here with her, but she was happy non-the-less.

"That's wonderful. And we're happy with you. Bella has brought light into your eyes that I myself have never seen. Tell me-do you plan to stay with the family once you're married?" Bella and I talked about that just the other day. I thought she would want to go away for a while. I was mistaken.

"Yes. Bella is happy here, as am I. We want to stay and be a part of this. Maybe someday we'll go off on our own for a while, but for now we'll be here." I could feel his happiness, so I'm guessing that's what he was hoping for. I know Esme was-she loved having her whole family under one roof. Carlisle got up, patted me on the shoulder, and left me to finish getting dressed. I wasn't going all out with a tux-I was just wearing a simple pair of black pants with a short-sleeve white shirt and a black tie. I'm impressed that Alice was letting me get away with so little, to be honest, but I wasn't going to argue. Bella wanted simple and I liked it. I sat down, just for a minute, when Emmett stuck his head in the door. I very nearly died (again) laughing. He was decked to the _hilt _in a long Priest's robe, complete with all the Catholic decorations.

"Emmett, aren't you worried about blasphemy there?" I said, pointing to his outfit.

"What? I need to look official, right? So here I am. Anyway, Alice told me Bella's ready, so we're going to get started now. And that means you should probably be out here. All though I'm sure there's _someone_ out here who wouldn't mind taking your place if you get cold feet." He smirked at me. I growled back, angry at just thinking about Edward standing in for me. And Emmett was right-I knew very well that he wished it was him.

"I'm not going to let you make me mad. Come on," I said, pushing past him as he laughed at my not-angry-but-angry state. When I entered the yard, I found that the family had kept true to their word about not making a fuss. There was no isle, really, because there was only one row of chairs. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Edward were already seated. The rows were positioned in front of a wood-carved gazebo, that wasn't painted at all. It made it all the more lovely because it was completely natural. Emmett took his place at the head of the gazebo-I caught Rosalie shaking her head at him from the corner of my eye. Esme was beaming, and Carlisle was radiating happiness. Edward looked sick. But he was here, and that was something. I'm guessing it was a show of faith for Bella. He nodded at me, catching my thoughts. I went and stood on the right side of the gazebo, waiting for Bella. We debated, briefly, about having Carlisle walk her down the non-isle, but she felt it wasn't right. She acknowledged Carlisle's part to her, but she wanted to leave that honor open for her father who couldn't be there.

I saw Alice flitting gracefully and quickly towards her seat, carrying a flute. I looked at her questioningly, and she gave me a half-grimace.

"Bella _is_ walking down the…well, walking to you with music, I don't care what she says. I'll play from my seat." I laughed at her disgruntled state. This was not at all the wedding she had planned, but it wasn't her wedding to worry about. Alice turned her head to make sure Bella was on her way, and then faced forward and began playing. It was just a sweet, soft song, but it was perfect. Bella grinned at me, laughed at Emmett, and then began walking to me. Her dress was perfect. It was white and sleeveless. The first layer was satin, and the satin was layered by chiffon. It fell to her knees. There was no beadwork, and no lace. She was wearing a pair of white ballet flats. Her hair was curled-it fell around her face and onto her shoulders in a very carefree manor. She had a daisy tucked behind her ear. And right then, watching her walk willingly into marriage with me, I knew. Everything up until now was done so that I could have this moment now. I looked at Alice, and she was grinning, having put down the flute. I could feel her joy. And I knew that she had seen this long before she let on. Edward was staring at her like she was the only one in the world for him, and I sadly realized that was how he felt. He felt exactly like me, except my joy was his pain. Bella reached me and took my hand, grinning like a fool the entire time.

"You are…beautiful," I whispered to her.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she grinned back. We turned to face Emmett, who was trying very hard to look serious.

"Here ye, here ye! We are gathered here today to join together in the holiest of matrimonies this little munchkin, Isabella Marie Swan, to this big-ass country bumpkin, Jasper Whitlock Cullen Hale." I rolled my eyes at him, but let him continue. Bella thought it was great. He said a few more words, and then it was time for vows. I would go first. We decided to keep them short-summing up our feelings in one sentence.

"Bella-I am nothing without you." She smiled at me, and she'd be crying if she could. Hell, I would be too.

"Jasper-_I_ love _you._" I couldn't help myself-I reached down and gave her a quick kiss.

"Hey! You can't do that until I say you can," Emmett interrupted. This time it was Bella who rolled her eyes.

"Then please, get to the point, brother bear," Bella said.

"Fine. By the power vested in me by the great internet, I now pronounce you husband and wife!" We turned to each other. "Now you may kiss your bride." And I did.

We turned to the audience after some gentle nudging from Emmett. "May I present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Whitlock!" We decided to take my first last name. Bella loved my family, but she thought it would be more fitting if she didn't use the name Cullen right away. I picked her up while she giggled, and spun her down the non-isle while our family came to meet us. And that was it. We were married, and the world had set itself right.

We weren't going to take a honeymoon, at least right away. Bella thought the family should come first, and we had a lot of healing to do together. Besides, she said, we'd have all eternity to take as many honeymoons as we wanted. Right now, we wanted to be together with our family. I gave a quick scan of them as they danced around us.

Emmett was pulling at Rosalie's arm, trying to convince her to say 5 Our Fathers. He really did want her to kill him, didn't he?

Rosalie was angry, but more amused. She refused to play his games. She was looking at us, and I saw her give Bella a tentative smile. Well, that was nice!

Esme was practically choking on her happiness as she pulled Bella into a hug. Well, she more likely sandwiched Bella between herself and Carlisle, but her happiness was writing on her face like permanent marker.

Carlisle squeezed Bella's shoulder and then turned and smiled at me.

Alice was practically exploding with glee, trying to force everybody together for a picture. She saw me watching and gave me a quick thumbs up.

Edward went back into the house. I didn't blame him, not one little bit. But he was here, and we would get through it sooner or later.

I smiled.

**Don't forget, I'll be posting the Eqilogue ASAP-maybe even later today. I already had one reviewer guess what was going to happen!**


	29. Epilogue

**Yay for Epilogues! I hope you think it's great. I just want to remind you guys that this is the 2nd chapter I've posted today, so if it's been a week or so since you've read this, you'll want to go back one page.**

"I freaking love Christmas, for real!" Emmett boomed as he plodded down the stairs. It was Christmas Eve, and we were going to exchange presents. I heard the front door open, and Bella and Alice walked in smiling. Snow was glistening in their hair. Bella bounded up to me, practically pulling at my arm off.

"Come on, Jasper! You've got to see!" She was definitely excited about something, and I shot a wave a curiosity to her as she yanked me through the door. She eagerly pointed to the sky, turned to me expectantly, and did a little happy dance. "The Northern Lights! Can you believe it? I've always wanted to see it!" She was dancing in a circle around me, unable to keep in one place.

"You've been spending too much time with Alice," I said in response to her unwavering energy. She stopped long enough to punch me in the arm, and then pulled me back in the house.

"Shut up, or I won't give you your present." I laughed out loud at her idle threat. If Bella loved anything, it was giving presents. We'd only been in Alaska for a month, and this was the first time the _aurora borealis_ presented itself. We moved not long after Bella and I were married, but 17 years had past and it had been time to move again. Esme thought it would be nice to be near the Denali's again.

By the time Bella had pulled me into the house, the rest of the family had made it downstairs to the living room. Esme was kneeled by the tree already starting to hand out presents. "Here you go, Emmett dear, I know you like to go first," she said, handing him a small pile of gifts. She knew him so well. He immediately tore through what he received, making sure to throw paper all over the room in the process.

"Dude, Bella, _yes!_" he exclaimed once he got to Bella's gift. I saw him waving some kind of video game that looked rather bloody around before bounding up and grabbing her for an impromptu hug.

Rosalie picked through her presents, murmuring thanks to each person in turn.

Alice's presents weren't wrapped, because she already knew what she was getting. Instead, she immediately started putting on the red sweater Rosalie got her while swirling around the room and blowing kisses in everyone's direction.

Then it was my turn. Alice had given me a key. The message tied to it merely said _it's time._ Which meant absolutely nothing to me, so I turned towards her, curious.

"There's a little house just down the street. Or, I guess, down the dirt path, however you want to explain it. It's time for some alone time with Bella, in your own house. And this way, you'll be nearby!" She squealed, and Bella grinned at her.

"Thank you Alice, I'm sure it's a lovely place." I pecked her on the cheek. She came and sat down next to me. Carlisle and Esme each got me a book. Emmett, being himself, chose to get me some kind of toy wrapped in black satin, with a note that said _later._ I rolled my eyes. Rosalie gave me a sweater. Edward had gotten me a civil-war era sword, which was pretty awesome to say the least. I grinned at him as he caught my thought. I saved Bella's box for last. I looked at her expecting her typical happy present-giving grin, but she was actually frowning in…nervousness? I quirked my eyebrow as I undid the bow. It was a plain brown box, but I knew immediately what it was.

It was a box from my old room in Forks. The day Bella and I had put Alice and Edward 'away,' so to speak. I pulled open the box to see exactly which one she had given me. Pictures-all of our pictures. Alice, the two of us, as well as the family. Even some with Bella mixed in. "Wow…" I breathed. "When did you go back to get this?"

"Before we left. Alice saw, but thankfully she kept it to herself. I thought that you would be ready to see them again-that you would want them. Because there are all kinds of pictures in there!" she rushed. "And…since the house was going to be demolished, I didn't want this particular box to go down with the ship." I didn't know what to say.

Instead of replying, I stood and walked towards her, planting a firm kiss on the lips. I took her hands and placed them on my face so she could feel how grateful I was for what she had done. I may be a new person, but I still liked reminders of the old me. And human Bella pictures? Wonderful! I released her as she sighed in relief, turning to her own pile of gifts. I resumed my seat next to Alice. She had gotten either clothes or books from everybody in the family, and a CD from Edward. It looked like an original composition, which would make Bella happy. She loved to hear Edward play.

Carlisle went next. He (and Esme) only got one box from us, 'the kids.' We had gotten him and Esme a round trip flight to Ireland. Esme loved the land there, and they had some friends they would like to see. They thanked us in kind. Carlisle went to stand next to Esme, placing his arm around her. I could see Emmett and Rosalie, who had gotten up and moved to the other side of the room, pointing at Carlisle. "Oooh, Carlisle, you guys are under the mistletoe! Kiss!" Emmett said. He and Rosalie laughed as Esme stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around Carlisle, kissing him deeply.

Edward was last. Like me, he got clothes but instead of books he got music. He looked curiously for Bella's package, but couldn't find it. I knew he wouldn't say anything. Suddenly, Bella stood up and walked towards him. She was grinning sheepishly as she handed him a small package. Looking slightly awkward, he took it from her, the question clearly written on his face-but he was smiling. Even I saw the hint of pain that would never go away cross his features. So quick I almost missed it, I saw him look at Alice, who gave him a quick smirk before turning back to the scene before her. He unwrapped it and just looked for a moment.

"A journal?" he asked, questioning her. He already had one.

"_Your _journal." She replied, and he flipped it open. Sure enough, Edward's elegant script scrawled page after page.

"It's my journal from when I met you." He whispered.

"Yep. When I went to get Jasper's box, I stopped to see if anything of yours, ah, made it. I came across this, and then I remembered that I couldn't destroy it because it was…from when I was human. And from when I first met you all. I thought…well, I guess I thought it would be the one you wanted, if you ever came back for them. Which, obviously you didn't because you didn't know I destroyed your things. You see…" He held up a hand to stop her.

"You don't have to explain. I'm not worried about my old things. But I'm glad you brought this to me. It's…more wonderful than words can express." He leaned towards her and gave her a soft embrace. I saw her smile into his shirt as she hugged him back. And Alice, quiet as a mouse, whispered, "I told you so." Edward nodded.

After presents, we all joined in the clean-up efforts. Esme was chatting quietly to Edward, who rolled his eyes and turned away. He was feeling embarrassed. Embarrassed?

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Esme exclaimed. "The Denali's will be here shortly to celebrate with us. Tanya would like for everyone _else_ to meet the newest member of her family, Elizabeth. She came over from England and found Tanya and her family. She's been living with them." I saw her shoot a grin in Edward's direction. Another wave of embarrassment came off of him.

"Okay, clue us in," Emmett said. "When you say everyone else, who met her first?"

"Oh, yes. Our Edward was the first to make introductions. In fact, he and Elizabeth—" Edward quickly cut her off.

"It was nothing. I ran into her hunting. Before everyone else made it up. It's nothing." Bella's eyes were wide as she took in his modest attitude. His _gentlemanly_ attitude. The one he reserved for women.

"Edward, you said it was nothing twice. That's a double negative. In my book, that makes a positive. You like her!" Bella danced.

"What? No! I mean yes. I mean she's a very nice girl. Stop prancing!" He said, to everyone's general amusement. Bella, instead of stopping, increased the pace of her 'prance,' scooping Alice up who immediately joined in.

"Edward's got a girlfriend, Edward's got a girlfriend!" They chanted, and I could feel his chagrin. I couldn't help but smile.

"She's very musically inclined," Esme added.

"Oooh," the girls swooned. Edward, having had enough, stomped upstairs while the rest of us laughed it off.

"He'll get over it," Alice said.

"Alice?" Esme asked. Alice quirked her eyebrow. "What's the weather look like?" We knew she didn't mean the actual weather.

"Oh, I say the weather looks _quite good."_ She replied, giving everyone a devious smirk.

"Stop it!" Edward shouted from upstairs, but I could feel that he was happy. Cautiously happy, but happy in a way he hadn't been in years.

There was a knock at the door.

**I told you I wouldn't leave him hanging! Thank you all for being with me and making this story so successful. I never expected it. I do plan on working on another story besides One Final Taste, which is going to be more of a story-lette. But I'm not sure what kind of story I want to do. So keep me on alert!**


	30. Missing Moment 1

**After I completed this story, I got several requests for scenes that should have been put in. So I introduce to you Missing Moment #1! This is what Alice really saw. I have 3 more Missing Moments for you, including the wedding night and when Edward meets Elizabeth. They won't be long, but hopefully this will tie up any lingering feelings you had for the story.**

I can't believe it. But the vision was so clear…

_Jasper and Bella were riding a horse-they were in Texas on Jasper's land. The longer they rode, the more relaxed Bella became. Jasper was pulling her closer and closer, and his eyes were becoming darker and darker. Suddenly he stopped the horse, turned Bella around and jumped off the horse. He backed her into a tree and kissed her with such passion…_

The vision morphed into later that same day.

"_What are you thinking?" she asked, pulling her knees up to her chin._

"_Honestly? What to do now. I care about you Bella, I truly do. But we've both been so hurt. I just don't know what the right thing is here." Honesty is the best policy, after all. She looked at me, thinking. I could feel nothing strange from her, so I didn't worry._

"_I care about you too, Jasper. You know that much. And you know what I think? It's not our fault that __they__ don't want us. We can't sit around and sulk forever, if it's not meant to be. I don't know about you, but __I'm__ getting older every day, and I'm not going to spend it pining for something that…I have no control over. The way I see it, we work on our own time table. Who cares what the __rules __are? Look at us! I'm tired of looking out for everyone else. I want to look at for me. And if that means…being with you…then so be it." She huffed a little at the end, and I felt nothing but determination emanating from her. She was something, alright._

"_You're absolutely right. My whole life was Alice. I never did anything for me. When she left, I never thought I'd even think the word __love__ again. It's like I wouldn't ever be good enough for anyone else. But damnit, Bella, I could love you. I could. And I don't want to be afraid of that." I shocked myself with that one, but it was true. I __could__ love Bella-she was everything I needed. Hell-I might already._

"_Me too. I don't want to feel like I've done something wrong by letting myself care for you. I want to do what feels good for once-what feels right. I don't want to be pushed away anymore. I want to make my own decisions-be my own person."_

"_Then it's settled…_

I allowed myself just a moment to break down. I broke trees, and fell to my knees, and sobbed tearlessly for an hour. Because I didn't wan to let him go. But when I looked around it, all I saw was Jasper sad. Jasper alone. Jasper in pain. There wasn't another way. The only way for him to be happy was to be with Bella. And I'm going to have to break his heart to get him to see that. I don't want to give him up! He's my everything. My life. But I want to keep my family together. I want him to be happy. And if this is the only way for him then that's what I'll have to do. I'll let him go.

My eyes rolled back while I was suddenly assaulted with another vision-so soon?

_I was standing in a field. I could see my family in the distance-Bella was a vampire. She and Jasper were holding one another, but smiling. So no danger. Carlisle and Esme were there, and Rose and Emmett and Edward. But there was someone else…and Edward was holding her hand. A vampire approached me slowly, but I felt no danger from him. He was tall, but not as tall as Jasper. His hair fell to his chin. It was coal black. He smiled at me, very friendly. And his eyes were golden yellow. _

"_Do you trust me?" he whispered, holding out his hand. I took it without hesitation, because it just felt right. "I saw you coming." Was all he said. I smiled at him, and I was happy. "My name is Eric, and I have visions. The last vision I had was a vision of you. I had to find you."_

I snapped my head forward. I wasn't going to smile about that yet, because my heart was still grieving for the husband I was going to lose. But I didn't feel so forlorn anymore. There was someone out there looking for me, and he was just like me. It was going to take time, but the comfort in knowing he was there was immense. And when he asked me if _I_ saw _him_ coming, I could say yes. Another good thing was that I saw someone with Edward, although I didn't get a good enough look at her. So this wasn't the end-it was the beginning.


	31. Nomination!

**Good news, everyone!**

**One More Taste****has been nominated for an Indie award in the following category:**

**Best non-E/B storyline**

**I'd be pleased as punch if ya'll would go and vote for this story, if you liked it. And if I win, I promise a super-sexy outtake that wasn't in the original story!**

**Voting starts today! www(dot)theindietwificawards(dot)com**

**On that note: I will be waiting to post any other outtakes until either a) I fall out of the contest or b) the contest is over.**

**Thanks, everyone! Hugs and kisses,**

**KC**


	32. Contest announcement

**Hey, everyone!**

**I'm super excited to announce that the C2 that I belong to will be hosting a contest for all you J/B fans!**

**Only the Best Jasper/Bella Presents:**

"**Everything's Bigger in Texas-a Jasper/Bella Fiction Contest!"**

**Categories are as follows:  
Best Darksper/Bella (When Jasper's naughty, everybody wins! Darksper stands for dark Jasper)**

**Best one-shot Jasper/Bella Lemon**

**Best lemon from Jasper/Bella story**

**Best overall Jasper/Bella story COMPLETE**

**Nominations will be taken for two weeks (ending August 4****th****) followed by two weeks of voting.**

**To nominate, please PM myself or one of the following ladies: NCChris, Jasper's Dark Angel, Jaspers Izzy, JaspersBella, JaspersDestiny or see the community-Only the Best Jasper/Bella. The link will be found on my profile. Story title and author's name, please!**

**If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! **

**Winners will receive a banner and a feeling of pride.**

**On another note, I will be posting more outtakes from this story later THIS WEEK! **


	33. Missing Moment 2

**I promised, didn't I? So here it is! Bella and Jasper's wedding night. I used some words and phrases I never have before, and I feel especially naughty because of it.**

"How do you feel, Mrs. Whitlock?" I asked my new wife, and I couldn't help the explosion of pride and joy I felt at this thought. Bella smiled at me, and she was feeling the same as me.

"Wonderful, _Mr._ Whitlock. I can't believe we're actually married!" She sighed, sitting on the bed. I joined her, taking her in my arms.

"Good for you for standing up for yourself, by the way. I think you very nearly sent Alice to the grave." I chuckled at my ex-wife's despair.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" she asked, in an exaggerated southern accent.

"You crushed her dreams! If it would have been up to her, there would have been flowers hanging from every surface, a live band, ten bridesmaids and a cake to feed 500. I'm sure if you wouldn't have allotted the dress she would have held you down and forced it on you." Bella scoffed.

"I'd like to see her try." This caused me to outright laugh. I pulled her closer and brought my lips to hers. She responded, pressing herself eagerly to me. I ran my hands over the fabric of her dress, pulling at the seams in the back. "You better not rip this-I'm sure it cost a fortune," she mumbled into my lips, bringing herself around to where she straddled my waist.

"Little lady, if you keep that up this dress won't be usable for anything but rags," I told her, eagerly tracing my mouth down the path from her neck to her throat.

"Not like I'll need it again," she mumbled.

"You make a valid point," and I ripped her dress up the sides. She groaned, but stood up to shake it off. It fell down her beautiful body so slowly that it was sinful, but beneath it was even better. She was wearing a simple, white strapless bra, a pair of white panties and…oh _God_ stockings. Stockings that were held up by those little suspenders where the straps rode gloriously up her silky little thighs.

She pushed me back onto the bed, straddling me as she bent forward to run her tongue down my neck. "You're going to need a new outfit," she said, pulling my jeans off so quickly that I didn't even see it coming. My shirt followed suit, and I lay there in nothing but my underwear as my wife licked her way back up to my lips. I growled at the sensation and flipped her over onto her back.

"Let me be in charge tonight, please," I asked as I began kissing my way up and down her throat. "I want you...beneath me...as I claim you as my wife."

She groaned in consent. I reached my fingers up to snap her bra off, throwing it on the floor with the rest of the tattered clothes. "We're going to need a whole new wardrobe," she panted. Her hands moved down her body as she went to remove her panties. I stopped her.

"Leave the stockings on." I breathed, making a slit in her underwear large enough for me to have access to her most precious place.

"You naughty boy..." she thrust her hips up to rub against me, and I realized the only barrier left was my underwwear. Well, we can't have that, so I pulled them down and kicked them to the floor. my hand quickly found her sensitive nub and I began rubbing furiously. I wanted to touch every inch of her, make her scream my name... She was groaning and writhing at my minstrations, trying to pull me closer to her.

"You wait your turn, little lady," I chastised as she bucked impatiently into my hand.

"Can't...wait..." she cried, and I could tell she was getting close. I immediately stopped what I was doing and began to trail lazy kisses up her abdomen. "Why did you stop?" she breathed, pulling at my hair.

"Because I'm in control. You'll cum when I tell you to." This caused her eyes to darken in anticipation. I let my hands wander aimlessly up and down her body, cupping her breasts intermittenly. I began kissing her slowly, letting her take in as much of my tongue as she could. Once she had calmed down, I positioned myself at her entrance. I felt her tense, but she didn't say anything.

I pushed into her slowly, drawing out each motion. Her fingers clawed at my back while she waited. The desire pouring from her was almost crippling, but I was determined to have the upper hand. I pulled out and let the tip of my member draw back and forth, but not entering her. She began to squirm and her hands reached between us, grabbing me and stroking me hard.

Finally I could take no more and I entered her completely. The feeling was pure bliss as I quickly set the pace. She met my every move and we began to work faster and faster until she was whispering my name with each breath. I let my hand trail down between us, rubbing her clit in pace with my movements. "Now, Bella!" and at my command, she arched her back and her body clenched around me. I followed immediately, collapsing on top of her afterwards.

"All mine," I said as I kissed her smirking mouth.

"Don't let it go to your head, husband. Tomorrow it's my turn."

**Next missing moment-we find out what Jasper gave Bella for Christmas!**


End file.
